Alhaji Abdullahi Maikanti, Chairman, Hadejia Local Government Council in Jigawa, has described as ‘fake’, media reports claiming that 100 persons recently died of a mysterious illness in the area.

Maikanti, while reacting to the reports, said that “only three deaths were recorded within the period in question”.

Media reports had claimed that 100 persons died of a mysterious illness in the area within 10 days.

Maikanti, while disputing the claims, said that the reports were “baseless and unfounded”.

“I am aware of only three deaths within the period; one of the deceased was my friend.

“The three deaths in our records took natural patterns like what we have witnessed over the years. I don’t think there is anything different,” he said on Tuesday in Hadeija.

The chairman, however, said that he had summoned a meeting with councillors to take a second inventory of deaths recorded recently.

“Details of the meeting will be made public thereafter. We won’t hide anything,” he said.

Efforts to reach Dr Abba Zakari, the Commissioner for Health, who is also the Chairman, Jigawa COVID 19 Task Force, for his reaction to the issue, proved abortive as messages sent to him kept bouncing back.