Meningitis: Two die in Lagos as death toll hits 438

Two persons have been confirmed dead following the spread of Cerebro Spinal Meningitis to Lagos State.

The deaths in Lagos were confirmed by the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control, which also revealed that the death toll nationwide has increased to 438.

According to the NCDC, 19 states have been affected.

According to a statistics on the death toll obtained from the NCDC, Zamfara State tops the list of those with highest number of deaths since the disease broke out in Nigeria.

The statistics further revealed that the number of suspected cases three days ago has risen from 2,997 to 3,959.

The agency in a statement by its spokesman, Lawal Bakare, explained that the increase in number of cases was due to intensified case-finding going on in the affected States.

The NCDC said of the three cases recorded in Lagos State, two have died, while the other was still under monitoring.

According to the agency, as at April 5, a total of 3,959 cases with 438 deaths have been reported and 181 laboratory confirmed cases.

The statement by Bakare added: “Meningitis outbreaks are currently reported in 19 States with five States mostly affected (Zamfara, Katsina, Kebbi and Sokoto in the North-West zone and Niger in the North-Central zone of Nigeria).”

The NCDC said in order to tackle the scourge, a reactive vaccination campaign has commenced in Zamfara State, with massive turnout in all the targeted communities.

It said a joint team of NCDC, the National Primary Health Care Development Agency and partners have stormed Zamfara State to provide medical care for the residents.
[20:16, 4/9/2017] Azess Arowona: EFCC discovers N448m cash in abandoned Lagos shop

The Economic and Financial Crime Commission (EFCC) Friday said it has discovered a sum of N448, 850 suspected to be laundered money inside an abandoned bureau de change on the premises of LEGICO Shopping Plaza, Ahmadu Bello Way, Victoria Island, Lagos.

The Commission said it operatives visited the shopping plaza after it received a tip-off by a whistleblower.

“The money stashed in several Ghana-Must-Go bags were in N500 and N1000 denominations, hidden in a shop awaiting conversion into foreign currency,” the Commission said in a statement.

“The attention of the plaza’s chairman and some traders were drawn in order to force the shops open. There was no money found in shop 67, but in shop 64 heaps of Ghana-Must-Go bags were found loaded on the floor of the shop. When the bags were unzipped they were found to contain bundles of naira notes totalling N448,850,000.”

Traders interviewed at the premises, according to the EFCC, claimed they were not aware that such money was housed inside the shop, as the place hardly opens for business.

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In February, the EFCC recovered $9.8 million and £74, 000, all in cash, from the residence of the former group managing director of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC), Andrew Yakubu. But the former NNPC boss claimed the money was given to him as a gift by unnamed persons and has gone to court to challenge its seizure by the commission.