The Kano State Hospitals Management Board has suspended three officers involved in the treatment of Aishatu Umar, a housewife whose death has been linked to alleged medical negligence following a surgical procedure at Abubakar Imam Urology Centre, Kano. The suspensions take effect immediately.
The board’s Public Relations Officer, Samira Suleiman, confirmed the action in a statement on Wednesday, following a preliminary investigation ordered by Executive Secretary Mansur Mudi Nagoda.
The Board established that the unfortunate incident involving the late Aishatu Umar did occur at the Abubakar Imam Urology Centre. In line with our commitment to accountability, professionalism, and patient safety, the Board has suspended three personnel directly involved in the case from clinical activities with immediate effect,” Suleiman said.
The matter has been referred to the Kano State Medical Ethical Committee for further investigation and disciplinary action, in accordance with professional guidelines and existing laws.
The Board expressed condolences to Umar’s family and reassured the public that negligence will not be tolerated. It also pledged to strengthen internal monitoring, enforce professional standards, and prevent similar incidents in the future.
According to family accounts, Umar, who was married with five children, died around 1am on Tuesday after experiencing persistent abdominal pain following surgery at the facility in September 2025. Her relative, Mohammed, said Umar had suffered severe pain for four months before her death.

Nutritionists have cautioned parents against overfeeding their children with processed foods, warning that an overreliance on packaged snacks and sugary meals could increase the risk of nutrition-related health problems.
Experts explained that many processed foods are high in sugar, salt, and unhealthy fats while being low in essential nutrients necessary for proper growth and brain development. Regular consumption, they said, could predispose children to obesity, weakened immunity, and early-onset non-communicable diseases.
The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) recently raised concerns over the rapid transformation of children’s diets worldwide. In its December 2025 review on ultra-processed foods (UPFs), the UN agency noted that traditional meals are increasingly being replaced by diets dominated by highly processed products.
“UPFs are designed to maximize profit rather than nourish children,” the UNICEF review stated. “They combine sugars, fats, salt, and additives that stimulate brain reward pathways, encouraging overconsumption. Children and adolescents consuming diets high in UPFs face an increased risk of overweight, obesity, and cardiometabolic conditions. These health consequences often persist into adulthood, leading to chronic diseases such as type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular disease, and certain cancers.”
Speaking to PUNCH Healthwise, former President of the Nutrition Society of Nigeria, Prof. Wasiu Afolabi, emphasized that establishing healthy eating habits in childhood is critical to long-term well-being. He urged parents to prioritize home-cooked meals made from fresh, local ingredients over processed options.
“Children have a strong taste for processed foods, such as breakfast cereals, biscuits, pastries, snacks, and pasta. While occasional consumption is acceptable, moderation is key,” Afolabi said. “Substituting processed foods with nutrient-rich options, such as meat, dairy, fruits, and vegetables, helps build healthy food habits and prevents obesity, which is a risk factor for future diseases like diabetes, cancer, and cardiovascular problems.”
Corroborating this view, Professor of Public Health Nutrition at Obafemi Awolowo University, Prof. Beatrice Ogunba, urged Nigerians to favor homemade meals. “Most processed foods lose nutrients during production. To promote health, we should reduce sugar, salt, and fatty foods,” she said.
Dr. Temilade Babatunde, a nutrition expert, warned that excessive intake of processed foods—often described as a pro-inflammatory diet—can trigger inflammation in the body, increasing the risk of heart disease and heart failure. Pro-inflammatory foods include processed meats like sausages and bacon, refined sugars, fried foods, and items high in saturated and trans fats.
“A pro-inflammatory diet damages the heart and blood vessels, increasing the likelihood of heart failure. Parents must limit children’s intake of these foods and focus on balanced, nutritious meals,” she advised.

Pharmacists in Nigeria have urged the Federal and state governments to urgently integrate licensed pharmacists into Primary Healthcare Centres (PHCs) nationwide, citing growing concerns over medicine misuse, poor patient counselling, and weak drug management at the grassroots level.
The Pharmaceutical Society of Nigeria (PSN) highlighted that the absence of pharmacists in many facilities, especially in rural and underserved communities, continues to undermine safe medication use and the delivery of effective healthcare.
According to the association, deploying pharmacists to PHCs would enhance patient care, improve medication safety, and bolster disease prevention efforts.
Speaking exclusively to newsmen, PSN President, Pharm. Aliyu Tanko, noted that while PHCs serve as the first point of contact for millions of Nigerians, licensed pharmacists are absent from many of these facilities.
He emphasized that pharmacists’ roles should not be confined to secondary and tertiary healthcare facilities. Instead, they must be recognized as critical members of the primary healthcare workforce.
“Full integration of pharmacists into national health programs, particularly at the primary healthcare and public health levels, is among PSN’s key expectations from the government in 2026,” Tanko said.
He further observed that pharmacists’ expertise remains underutilized at the PHC level and called for government support for digital health transformation, including harmonizing licensing, inspections, continuing professional development, and service delivery systems across the sector.
Tanko also raised concerns about medicine access and affordability, which were major issues in 2025 due to import dependence, foreign exchange volatility, and persistent supply chain pressures affecting pharmaceutical products nationwide.
To strengthen local drug manufacturing and reduce import reliance in 2026, he recommended pharmacy-informed industrial and health policies, including:
Clear regulatory frameworks and enforcement to ensure competent oversight of medicine production, distribution, and dispensing.
Local content procurement policies prioritizing quality-assured, locally manufactured medicines in public health programs.
Development of pharmaceutical industrial clusters supported by stable infrastructure, including power, water, logistics, and regulatory backing.
Optimization of human capital by leveraging consultant pharmacists, industrial pharmacists, and academic experts in manufacturing innovation and quality systems.
Tanko urged policy alignment across the health, trade, and finance ministries, recognizing pharmaceuticals as a national security and public health priority. “Local manufacturing cannot thrive without professional integrity, regulatory certainty, and deliberate government commitment. PSN seeks a functional partnership with the government to build a resilient, people-centred, and professionally governed health system,” he said.
Meanwhile, the Association of Community Pharmacists of Nigeria (ACPN) has called on the federal government to officially designate community pharmacies across the country as PHCs. The association emphasized that pharmacists are the most accessible healthcare professionals and play a pivotal role in national health delivery.
ACPN National Chairman Ambrose Ezeh stressed that pharmacists are often the first point of contact for patients, providing immediate, professional, and reliable interventions. “This accessibility enables pharmacists to offer free consultations, counsel patients on medication safety, monitor drug interactions, and ensure treatment adherence,” Ezeh said.
“Pharmacists stand at the intersection of medical expertise, public health, and patient-centred care. Across Nigeria, people walk into community pharmacies without appointments and leave with health education, reassurance, and proper guidance. This is why community pharmacies deserve official recognition as Primary Healthcare Centres,” he added in a statement marking the 2025 World Pharmacist Day.