Police officer dies in his house of coronavirus

By Ezurike Ugochukwu

A police officer attached to the Edo state command of the Nigerian Police Force has died in his house in the state while awaiting coronavirus test result conducted on him.

The 57-year-old officer who  was the latest victim of the virus in Edo state according to the State Commissioner for Health, Dr. Patrick Okundia in a release made available to Nation Update online said the victim died on Tuesday.

The Commissioner stated that the police officer was first treated at police hospital when he took ill, but later died at his house before the arrival of his sample test.

Edo State Governor Godwin Obasiki

Okundia  has to say,: “We had an unfortunate situation of a 57-year-old police officer who passed on (Tuesday). The story is not very clear how he got the infection, but he developed some illnesses.

“Initially, there was no evidence of suspicion for coronavirus disease, but when the symptoms started getting worse he was treated at the police clinic.

“And about two days before that death, our surveillance team were called to have a look at him and it was in that process they took the sample and sent it to the laboratory while he continued with his drugs.

“He was placed on self isolation. However, the result came out and it was positive.

“At the time we could get to his house to move him out, unfortunately the man had died that same day, he said.

Okundia however did not disclosed if the diseased was among cases profiled by the state and the Nigerian Center for Disease Control (NCDC) and how he got infected by the virus.

According to the  latest report from the NCDC, the country currently has 873 recorded cases of the disease, 28 has died while 197 have recovered. Edo state has 17 recorded cases, two deaths and seven recoveries.