The police command in Kano State, says a couple has been found dead on its matrimonial bed in Dawakin Tofa Local Government Area, LGA, of the state, believed to have died of suffocation from charcoal fumes.

SP Abdullahi Haruna-Kiyawa, the spokesperson for the command said this in a statement in Kano on Wednesday.

He gave the names of the couple as Sulaiman Idris, 28 and Maimuna Haliru, 20.

“We received a report on Jan.3, at about 9.00 p.m from Kwa Village in Dawakin Tofa LGA that a couple was discovered not to have come out of its matrimonial home since it was last seen on Jan. 2 at about 11:00 p.m.

“When the grandmother of Idris forced the door open, she discovered the couple motionless on the matrimonial bed, with smoke odour pervading the room.

“On receipt of the report, the Kano State Commissioner of Police, Mr Mamman Dauda, directed a team of detectives led by CSP Ahmed Hamza, DPO Dawakin Tofa Division to proceed to the scene.

“The bodies of the victims were removed from the scene and rushed to Murtala Muhammed Specialist Hospital, Kano where a medical doctor confirmed them dead,” Haruna-Kiyawa said.

The police image maker said that preliminary investigation revealed that the deceased couple lit a charcoal fire to warm the room due to cold weather.

“They locked up and got suffocated by the smoke that emanated from the burning charcoal burning while fast asleep,” he said.

He said the investigation of the incident was still in progress.

Mr Haruna-Kiyawa advised the people of the state to be careful while using fire from charcoal, urging them to always take safety measures, because harmattan season was associated with a high risk of fire outbreaks.