THE Jigawa State government has accused neighbouring state, Kano, of stigmatising Jigawa State for repatriating to the state a Jigawa indigene who had tested positive for covid-19 in Kano State.
A press release signed by Auwal D. Sankara, Senior Special Assistant to Jigawa State governor on New Media, made available to National Record on Friday said though the state does not have a case of infection within the state, it has however taken into isolation an infected indigene deported from neighbouring Kano.
“In view of the foregoing, the Jigawa State Government hereby unequivocally states that that there is no record that the Jigawa State Government has any confirmed case of COVID-19.
“The Jigawa State Government will always be concerned, ready and willing to bring back home any of its indigene who was rejected or stigmatized by any state,” he said while also appealling to residents of Jigawa State not to panic on the wildly circulating rumour in the social media ‘of a purported case of covid-19’ infection in the state.
According to Sankara, though the said victim is an indigene of Jigawa State, his covid-19 status was confirmed in Kano State where he was tested while on transit from Lagos.
“The said victim is a passenger who was coming back from Lagos, passing through Kano en route Jigawa, where he and one other were intercepted and isolated by the officials of the Kano State Covid-19 Task Force at the Kano State Border. One of the intercepted passengers later tested positive to the virus.
“Regrettably, the bone of contention here is that the Kano State Government insisted on bringing the said victim to Jigawa State,” Sankara stated, arguing that it was wrong for the Kano State government to record the infection against Jigawa State.
The Jigawa state government argued that when recently the Comptroller General of Nigerian Immigration Services, Muhammed Babandede, an indigene of Jigawa State, tested positive for coronavirus, he was never recorded as a Jigawa State case as he was not tested in Jigawa but in Abuja where he was isolated and treated.
Sankara noted that following the insistence of the Kano State government to repatriate the victim to Jigawa, Governor Badaru had immediately dispatched a medical team to bring the patient to the state where he is now receiving medical attention at state’s isolation centre.
“In any case, the public is hereby advised to disregard this information as no case of coronavirus disease has been recorded in Jigawa state, nor any suspected case is currently being investigated.
“Governor Badaru also called on the residents to remain calm and not panic, while he assured the good people of Jigawa State of his continued commitment towards preventing the pandemic in the state, saying that all measures of safety are being put in place to prevent its occurrence.
“The Governor who said winning the war against Covid-19 is a collective responsibility, appealed to residents to strictly observe a high level of personal hygiene, follow government’s simple directives and instructions,” Sankara said.
He assured the people of Governor Badaru’s commitment to confronting headlong the pandemic as indicated by the “various containment strategies ranging from the inauguration of task forces” in the event of an outbreak in the pandemic in the state.
