Kaduna: Citizens are dying because of lockdown, JNI tells El-Rufa’i

The Jama’atu Nasril Islam (JNI), Zaria branch, on Saturday said research has shown that there is high rate of infant and maternal mortality caused by the prolonged lockdown imposed on Kaduna state.

JNI made this know in press briefing by the Chairman and Secretary of the society, Abdullahi Yahaya and Mahmud A. Abdullahi, respectively.

Yahaya said patients suffering from other illness than COVID-19 are being denied access to healthcare due to the “imprudent lockdown.”

He said if the intention of the lockdown is to save lives of citizens, more lives are being lost on daily basis that are incomparable with the COVID1-19 fatalities.

He added: “The death rate of patients that were denied proper access to their clinics is heartbroken. On top of the list are infant and maternal mortalities. Failure of the government to adopt participatory methodology and approach in planning and implementing the most effective safety measures had induced both formal and informal failure of the economic sector. Many citizens have been rendered bankrupt.

“Peasant farmers are denied access to their farmlands; food stuff traders are finding it difficult to open their shops and hospitals are virtually reduced to corona virus clinics. Above all, there is no meaningful welfare provision extended for the wellbeing of the poor citizens.”

Yahaya said many families are now in distress, as their sources of livelihood have been scuttled and find it extremely difficult to put food on the table.

He said the state government needs to reconsider its stance on the lockdown, saying that the number of people that lost their lives because of the hardship caused by the lockdown far outnumbered those killed by COVID-19 in Kaduna state.