TheCable

The Kano government has directed that all schools — private and public — in the state be shut down.

The directive was in a statement issued by Sanusi Kiru, Kano commissioner for health, on Tuesday evening.

“Parents whose children are in boarding schools are to also arrange and convey their children/ wards back home from tomorrow, Wednesday, 16th December 2020,” Kiru said.

“All inconveniences are regretted.”

Aminu Tsanyawa, Kano commissioner for health, in a statement on Tuesday, also announced the closure of all public and private health training institutions in the state.

“The Executive Governor of Kano State Dr Abdullahi Umar Ganduje OFR Khadimul Islam has directed the Ministry of Health to close down all Public and Private Health Training institutions including Schools of basic/postbasic nursing and midwifery, Schools of Health Technology and school of Hygiene with immediate effect,” the statement reads.

No reason was given for the shutdown but it may not be unconnected to the rise in COVID-19 cases or the insecurity in the country.

Last weekend, over 300 schoolboys were abducted by gunmen in Kankara, Katsina state.

So far, Nigeria has recorded 74,123 cases of the disease. While 66,494 patients have been discharged, 1,200 people have died.

In Kano, 1,913 cases of COVID-19 have been recorded.

The state has the ninth highest number of cases after Lagos, the federal capital territory (FCT), Kaduna, Plateau, Oyo, Rivers, Edo and Ogun.