A 15-year-old Medicine undergraduate of Bingham University, Nasarawa State, Temi Ilesanmi has died after she allegedly got infected with the Ebola Virus from a monkey belonging to a neighbour at her parent’s residence at Apo Legislative Quarters, Abuja.

The distraught father of the deceased, Mr. Olu Ilesanmi, a former Permanent Secretary in the Federal Ministry of Finance, in a telephone correspondence described his late daughter as the star of the family.

“In her WAEC examination last year, she made 6 As and 3 Bs. She was the star of the family – bold, brilliant and beautiful! If I live a thousand years, daddy will cry for her every single say,” he said.

A family source, Mrs Olufunke Osunkoya, who spoke with LEADERSHIP in Abuja, yesterday, on behalf of the family, said trouble started early this month when the late Temi became afflicted with a strange kind of fever that defied treatment at the Federal Staff Hospital, Garki Hospital and National Hospital, all in Abuja.

She said the deceased who was secreting blood from her nose and mouth as well as on her phlegm when she coughs or sneezes was later referred to the University of Abuja Teaching Hospital, Gwagwalada, Abuja, where doctors diagnosed Ebola Haemorrhage Fever and she was later transferred to Irrua Specialist Hospital in Edo State.

Osunkoya said it was at Irrua that doctors queried if the deceased had been to the zoo recently or had come in contact with animals such as monkeys and were informed that a neighbour at her residence had a monkey as pet.

She said based on doctors’ advice, the deceased family had written to the Abuja Environmental protection Board (AEPB), requesting that the monkey which may not have been immunised be removed from the neighbourhood to prevent further spread of the virus.

The family source said to the dismay of all, the neighbour, a woman, whose name was yet to be ascertained, resisted every attempt made by AEPB officials to serve an abatement notice on the residence even as she put up stiff resistance when at the expiration of the abatement notice, the officials came to the house to remove the animal.

However, when LEADERSHIP contacted the AEPB for comments over the matter, the Head of Information and Outreach Unit of the board, Mr. Joe Ukairo, expressed shock over the situation, saying he had not been briefed of the development.

“I’ve not been briefed about this particular issue. You saw the shock on my face when you asked that question. I will have to find out from environmental health and safety department where we have environmental officers because it is within the jurisdiction. When you serve an abatement notice, you give a time frame and then go back for compliance monitoring and if the person has failed to comply, you take him to court, get a court summon and the court will fix a date for hearing which the person will be served. These are the three stages involved.”

Ukairo however insisted that the AEPB Act does not prohibit residents from keeping pets but was against a situation where the pets constitute a nuisance in the environment.

“The AEPB Act 1997, Section 20, Sub 1(b) stipulates that any person who rears or keeps animals like birds likely to cause environmental nuisance such as offensive odour, noise or neglect or fails to confine the animals or birds to his premises is guilty of an offense and liable on conviction to a fine not less than N5, 000 or imprisonment for a term of three months or both fine or imprisonment as the court may deem fit.

“The interpretation of this act as you can see is not against keeping of pets but just to ensure that such pets do not become a nuisance along the line maybe creating offensive odour or making noise. However, the necessary things must be done like the vaccination, with a certificate by the veterinary department.”

When LEADERSHIP visited the No 33, Adekunle Lawal Close, Zone D, Apo Legislative Quarters, Abuja residence of the suspected monkey owner, the house appeared to be deserted as several knocks at the gate were not responded to.

Is this a recent case?

Yes recent one

source

TheIROKO: source

Leadership ....Niccca

First of all, the title is somehow misleading. It should have read: "15-yr-old undergraduate dies of ebola" not "undergraduate, 15, dies..."

Secondly, if perchance the story is true, then the parents of the late undergraduate, the Abuja doctors who attended to her, the Benin hospital workers, the monkey owner(s), the environmental people(all with their relatives) should be quarantined and with immediate effect. It better be winch people that killed her and not ebola!

candy: First of all, the title is somehow misleading. It should have read: "15-yr-old undergraduate dies of ebola" not "undergraduate, 15, dies..."

Secondly, if perchance the story is true, then the parents of the late undergraduate, the Abuja doctors who attended to her, the Benin hospital workers, the monkey owner(s), the environmental people(all with their relatives) should be quarantined and with immediate effect. It better be winch people that killed her and not ebola!

winch people that killed her and not ebola! indeed


guy you go know about winch gan dem don attack you before ni

jones9ice:

Leadership ....Niccca

Obviously your story is false.

TheIROKO:

Obviously your story is false.

i no false you make you no found out

so you dont know leadership

are you from back of nigeria

False story

jones9ice:

winch people that killed her and not ebola! indeed

If na ebola kill the girl, o boy, na in be say bigger yawa dey ground! Do you know how many people she had contact with? And we are here cursing Patrick Slayer.

jones9ice: guy you go know about winch gan dem don attack you before ni

Attack me ke? Me wey blood of Jesus dey flow everywhere around me and my family? God will not allow them.

candy:

If na ebola kill the girl, o boy, na in be say bigger yawa dey ground! Do you know how many people she had contact with? And we are here cursing Patrick Slayer.


Attack me ke? Me wey blood of Jesus dey flow everywhere around me and my family? God will not allow them.

I like u gan and u love ur fam gan

i beg i won join ur family so u go love me

how i go take join wiv moni abi fine or wetin

I dont tink d story is true...all d same we r covered WT d blood of Jesus Christ...we really Need 2 start praying 2 God so dat he will 4give US frm all our sins n v mercy on US...cos i believe der is nothing 2 hard 4 God 2 du, d Lord dat saved d isrealites frm snake-bite wil save US frm Ebola n make it a history not only in Nigeria but in d whole of Africa!

jones9ice:

I like u gan and u love ur fam gan

i beg i won join ur family so u go love me

how i go take join wiv moni abi fine or wetin

You wanna join ma family? Join ma church- there, we are one big happy family.

candy:
You wanna join ma family? Join ma church- there, we are one big happy family.

really where dem dey