How dem discover dead couple inside room after dem use charcoal to ‘keep warm’ for Kano

For di pipo of Kwa village inside Dawakin Tofa local goment for Kano na mourning period dem dey after dem find one couple Sulaiman Idris and Maimuna Halliru inside room dead two days ago.

28 year-old Sulaiman na keke rider wey only marry 10 months ago and im 20 year old wife Maimuna na housewife.

Di Mother of Sule (as family dey call am) Mallama Binta Muhammad describe di shock when she get call say her pikin don die.

“No be small shock I get because na very shocking thing happun at first I even think say na poison dem eat before I get full information.”

“Dem tell me say na charcoal dem light up come carry enter dia room in order to keep warm from dis harmattan.”

“I no dey stay same town as dem so I last speak to my pikin three days before im death and as if e know wetin wan happun e bin ask to greet all im oda siblings before ending di call.”

“Sule na my first born but e get nine oda siblings.”

Mother of di late wife Maryam Muhammad wey just dey cry during her tok with BBC News Pidgin say she still dey in shock over wetin happun to her daughter and her husband. 

Hussaini Zakiru na neighbour and friend of Sulaiman and e tok say di 28 year-old na beta pesin wey dey relate well with everybody.

“Even im fellow keke riders when dem tok about am yarn say Sule na good pesin wey sabi relate well with odas.”

“I use my eyes see am a day before dis tin happun because we dey usually meet and greet in di morning when I dey fetch water, not knowing na di last time I go see am.”

Police tok how di incident happun

According to Nigeria Police di couple no comot from dia room since dem retire for di night on January 2nd 2023 and by following evening na im di groom grandmother force dia door open to see dem motionless.

Tok tok pesin of Kano Police Command SP Abdullahi Kiyawa for statement say dem get report immediately after di discovery and na im dia officers rush to di scene to see wetin dey happun.

“Immediately our officers reach dia dem see di couple motionless and observe odour from charcoal.”

“Na from dia we know say dem bin light charcoal fire to help dem keep warm for di night since na harmatran period we dey and na im likely cause dia deaths.”

“ We bin rush di couple to Murtala Mohammed hospital wia doctor confam dia deaths, wetin our preliminary investigation show be say di couple die after suffocating from smoke of di charcoal.”

Di Police use di opportunity to advise residents to dey very careful with charcoal or fire wey dem dey take use warm dia body for dis harmattan period as danger fit happun.

Fire Service warn pipo about smoke and fire

Just days ago di tok tok pesin of Kano state Fire Service Saminu Yusuf bin release statement due to di number of fire cases wey dem dey get for harmattan period warning pipo on di dangers of smoke and fire.

According to Saminu whenever pipo use charcoal or light wood to keep warm make dem make sure say dem off am before dem sleep for night.

E also warn pipo not to forget to turn off dia heating appliances like boiling ring and electric heaters to avoid disasters.

'Health expert tok dangers of smoke’

Dr Abubakar Nagoma na medical practitioner for Aminu Kano hospital and e tok say wetin happun to dis couple na something wey don happun several times before despite di dangers wey dey inside.

E yarn say na dangerous thing for pipo to light charcoal or even mosquito coil for room wey dey closed all around because e dey lead to carbon monoxide poisoning.

“If di door and all windows dey closed di pipo wey dey di room no go dey get beta oxygen and because of dat charcoal or coil or wey dem light na carbon monoxide dem go dey inhale.”

“As dem dey inhale dat carbon monoxide na dia cells dey die because cells need oxygen to survive wey e no get as di doors and windows dey closed, na dis dey lead to dis kain deaths.”

Di doctor advise pipo to dey very careful regarding how dem dey take keep warm during dis harmattan season wey still dey active across many parts of di world.