COVID-19: Atiku reacts to reports of infected son’s alleged partying

Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar Monday urged Nigerians to pray for his son, Mohammed, who is down with coronavirus.

The ex-Vice President disclosed late on Sunday night that his son had tested positive for COVID-19.

Reports had emerged on social media that Mohammed returned to the country in company of his wife, Badriyya and their children, fuelling speculations that the virus had spread more than was initially thought.

However, the ex-Vice President’s son’s wife and children had tested negative for the virus and are currently on self-isolation at their Abuja home.

In a statement signed by his media adviser, Paul Ibe, Atiku said the “coronavirus case” travelled alone and voluntarily called the Nigerian Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) after returning to the country.

The statement read: “The case did not travel with his family or any other person but travelled alone by Emirates Airline. The clinical case returned to the country on 17th March via Switzerland from some business engagements in France and Switzerland.

“He attended a private meeting of six persons same day in Lagos, stayed in his private house for the night and took an Aero 5:20 p.m. flight to Abuja on 18th March. The case wore face mask as a precautionary measure since his arrival in Nigeria.

“The case did not show symptoms of infection and voluntarily placed a call to NCDC on arrival in Abuja late on the 18th March to inform them he had returned from COVID-19 prone country and desired to be tested.

“On the 19th March, NCDC took his blood sample which result came positive on the 20th March. He subsequently went into self- isolation to protect his family within his own house. His son has since tested negative while his wife’s result is being awaited. The two persons are currently in self isolation.”

The former number Nigerian number two citizen urged urge members of the public to disregard the “perfidious information that the case accessed open locations, saying he “was not at Play Lounge or any other club in Abuja as being mischievously bandied about.”

He added: “The case neither attended the Friday Jumu’a prayers nor any social gathering until his evacuation to Gwagwalada Specialist Hospital on the 20th March where he is being treated and managed.”