Death of Kano student in India: The untold story - By Salihu Tanko Yakasai

Read Salihu's piece below...

It is often difficult to put forward facts and figures or advance reasons when emotions are high. This is even more so when a serious and solemn event like death has been used to appeal to sentiments and achieve a target. It is the situation we found ourselves in Kano with the death in India of a Kano State student, Jibril Abubakar Jibril.

Jibril was, until his death, studying Pharmacy at the Bapuji Pharmacy College in, India, on Kano state Government scholarship.   

While it was indeed painful seeing how tempers were whipped high by some people whose target is actually not sympathy for the deceased’s family or even the suffering of the late student prior to his death, but rather using the unfortunate incidence for certain ends, one still felt the need for restrain to let tempers calm before setting the records straight. 

The first and very important information on the travails of the deceased student that was conveniently ignored by hate mongers is that late Jibril was actually involved in a fatal road accident in India while travelling very late at night on April 4, 2016. It was not only him. His fellow student, Usman Safiyanu Jaafar was on him during the ill-fated journey. 

However, while Usman Jaafar sustained mainly bruises that were treated and he was discharged immediately, Jibril was not as lucky. He sustained serious neck injuries that required surgery. And because of the cordial relationship between the school and the Kano State government, Jibril’sschool did not waste time in taking care of him while they contact the government. 

The government’s link man in India, the consultant that is like the guide of all our students there immediately sent an email to the Scholarship Board and other government figures. He broke the sad news and informed the authorities here that a relative of Jibril also on scholarship in the same institution had signed a consent form for an immediate surgery. The consultant equally attached another form for Jibril’s father back in Kano to sign for further work to continue. 

The uncle of the student was then called to the Scholarships Board where he was briefed on the sad development and the consent form was presented to him. The duly signed form was then posted back to India. 

However, because of the medical report the government received and the critical nature of the student’s condition, and after Governor AbdulllahiUmar Ganduje was briefed about the situation, the state government promptly sponsored two members of his family – his mother and a brother to travel to Bangalore to look after him. 

The state government also requested that Jibril be given the best care he could get and that was how he was transferred to the best hospital in Bangalore despite the doctors saying his survival chances was just about 10 percent. 

The governor directed the Executive Secretary of the Scholarships Board to keep tab of development around the patient and keep him abreast of developments as they unfold. The Scholarship Board was therefore on daily contact with the doctors in India, the college’s principal, Jibril’smother and the consultant who was monitoring everything. On days his condition warranted, officials of the board even got to speak to Jibril himself. 

When the student eventually died, the Ministry of Education, Science and Technology immediately facilitated the transportation of his remains alongside his mother and brother who were sponsored to nurse him. This was done as urgently as possible in line with the Islamic injunctions on funeral and in order for the deceased student to be given befitting burial as ordained by Islam. 

The foregoing has shown the level of concern and commitment the Kano State Government has shown on this unfortunate happening, contrary to the falsehood peddled since the death of Jibril. Indeed, no one can rescue a soul whose time is up but for sure the government has done its extreme best to help Jibril and his family in their hours of need. 

Kano State Government has so far paid a total sum of $27,474 (Twenty seven thousand, four hundred and seventy four dollars) to settle the medical bills of late Jibril and other related expenses.

All that was done, of course, was backed by finances and the government did not hesitate in releasing all necessary funds for treatment and other needs for the late Jibril. His school was up to its responsibility by paying up the initial bills for emergency care before contacting the government. Immediately the government came in it paid up the bills accrued by the school in giving the early care and continued from there till the end. 

With all this effort on the government’s side I wonder why anyone would go and manufacture conjectures about neglect or whatever in this case. It is nothing less than inhumanity for anyone to cease the grief of a family and turn it into a political mischief trick, which is what happened in this incidence.

May the soul of Jibril find repose in the nicest of Jannah. May Allah comfort his family, ameen.‎