The Guardian (Nigeria)

Bello locks down Kabba/ Bunu LG for 14 days

Insists state still free of COVID- 19

- From Ibrahim Obansa, Lokoja

KOGI State Governor Yahaya Bello has ordered two weeks total lockdown of Kabba/ Bunu Council, from midnight on Tuesday, June 2, 2020 over alleged cases of coronaviru­s disease ( COVID19) in the area.

He also directed the management of Federal Medical Centre ( FMC), Lokoja, to isolate doctors and any health official that participat­ed in moving the man and his son to Abuja.

This followed an allegation that the Kabba Chief Imam, Sheikh Ahmad Ejibunu, and his son were taken to Abuja by the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control ( NCDC) for medical test after it was alleged that they were suffering from COVID- 19.

Addressing journalist­s on Monday at the Government House, Lokoja, the governor pointed out that though the state did not believe in the allocated figures, he had to lock down the council, so that the COVID- 19 committee could conduct checks and obtain samples for further examinatio­n.

Bello further noted that in the heat of the stand off with NCDC, the state woke up one morning to hear that NCDC had recorded two cases for Kogi, against the protocol and guidelines set out by the agency; hence the state set out to investigat­e the claim and here are our findings.

Kogi, as at today, is coronaviru­s- free, adding that the state would always take adequate measures to prevent the virus from entering the state.

He called on the people of Kabba/ Bunu to cooperate with the committee so that adequate test could be carried out during the two weeks lockdown.

The state had accused NCDC of desperatio­n to force a COVID- 19 case on it; hence it violated its protocols.

The Commission­er for Health, Dr. Saka Audu, stated on Sunday that some individual­s were declared COVID- 19 positive, even before they were tested.

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