TheCable

Mohammed Abubakar, son of Atiku Abubakar, former vice president, says fake news worsens the health condition of those battling coronavirus.

Abubakar is the index coronavirus case in the federal capital territory (FCT).

In an interview with ARISE News, Abubakar, who was speaking from the isolation centre at the University of Abuja Teaching Hospital in Gwagwalada, said: “Fake news compounds your problems if you are in a vulnerable situation.

“Perhaps being from a political family, I didn’t feel the pain as much. But for people who are more vulnerable, this could really affect their health.

“It could affect their immune systems as well. So I urge people out there to be very circumspect on how they treat information.

“Let them be careful in spreading information that is false. These things aggravate health conditions

“In my case, even people within the estate that I lived were purveyors of fake news.”

Abubakar said collective effort is required to tackle the disease.

“I would like for all of us to come together and see how we can support one another,” he said.

“The longer it takes, the more the impact. Let’s work hard and support the government, let us comply with directives from the WHO so that we can overcome these challenges sooner than later.

“I would like to also ask that we pray and show our medical staff a lot of support. They are at the front lines risking their lives. I have seen it first hand how close they come to patients and how exposed they are. We need to pray that none of them gets infected because they are our backbones.”

The video was shared by his father on Twitter.