Borno Ex-Governor Denies Report Of ‘Running Away’ To Abuja To Avoid Coronavirus Test

Former Governor of Borno state, Ali Modu Sheriff has denied reports that he was running away from being tested for coronavirus after allegedly coming in contact with two cases who have died of the disease.

KanyiDaily had reported that Sheriff was accused of refusing to make himself available for coronavirus test despite meeting two prominent citizens of the state, who died of the virus recently.

The former governor was said to had fled to Abuja to avoid health officials from the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) and the state’s COVID-19 prevention team, from taking his sample for test.

However, a statement issued by Kola Adam, Special Adviser on media to the former governor of Borno state, said that the report were false information prepared with malicious intention full of political gimmicks.

“Our attention has been drawn to a false publication making round about former Borno Governor titled, ‘Ali Modu Sheriff Tricks Health Officials, Flees To Abuja To Avoid COVID-19 Test Despite Close Contact With Dead Victims’.

“According to the report, Sheriff had refused to make himself available for COVID-19 test despite meeting two prominent citizens of the state, who died of the virus recently.

“That a member of the state prevention and response team said the former governor was one of the contacts being traced and linked up with late former governor, Mohammed Goni, and Shehu of Bama, Alhaji Kyari Elkanemi, who both died of the virus.

“Therefore, let me unequivocally respond that all the above were false information prepared with malicious intention full of political gimmicks.

“The late Shehu of Bama have not had contact with Sheriff for the past one year; and was not present at the burial of Senator Sheriff’s father; talk less of attending the funeral prayers that can warrant for a meeting between the two”.

“There was no place where Sheriff shook hands with anybody during the burial of his late father, not to talk of coming in contact with late Goni during the funeral procession. And the State COVID-19 Committee when contacted refuted such unfortunate report and revealed that it had never invited Sheriff for a test.”

“For the record, Sheriff and his family were all tested negative in Abuja before proceeding to Maiduguri. Since the discovery of the virus in Nigeria, Sheriff had never undermined the issue of COVID-19 and confined himself to social distancing even before the order by the federal government.

“However, it is unfortunate that naive minded politicians instead of praying for protection started to make a mischief out of the COVID-19 Pandemic.”

“Meanwhile, as we are investigating the source of this unfortunate and malicious report, the general public is hereby advised to ignore such fabricated information by mischief makers.” The statement noted.