TheCable

Abba Zakari, chairman of the Jigawa COVID-19 task force, says the patient receiving treatment in the state “belongs to Kano”.

Speaking at a press conference in Dutse, the state capital, on Friday, he said the case was recorded in Kano, and as a result, it was listed as one of the 21 cases confirmed in Kano as of April 16, 2020.

“In spite of the fact that the patient is an indigene of Jigawa, his sample was taken in Kano; the sample was among the 21 cases confirmed positive by Nigerian Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) in Kano,” NAN quoted Zakari to have said.

He added that rather than treat the patient in Kano, the officials insisted the case should be transferred to Jigawa.

“Some days ago, two persons returning from the south-west were intercepted in Kano where their samples were taken to NCDC for testing,” he said.

“The returnees happened to be indigenes of Jigawa; one of the samples returned positive and the other negative.

“The procedure is that wherever a sample is taken for testing, the result, positive or negative, belongs to that particular state where the sample was taken from.

“We spoke with officials of Kano state on the need to treat the patient over there but it proved abortive, so our governor directed that the patient be brought to Jigawa for isolation and treatment. The patient has been isolated and is doing well.”

He said the reason Kano gave for asking that the case be moved to Jigawa, is that the patient is an indigene of Jigawa and was heading to the state when intercepted.

“People should understand that dealing with issues surrounding COVID-19 requires cooperation,” he said.

“For instance, the comptroller general of the Nigerian Immigration Service, Mr Muhammed Babandede, who is an indigene of Jigawa, tested positive to the virus, but was never recorded as a Jigawa case, because he was not tested in Jigawa. Rather, he was confined and isolated at the FCT where his sample was taken. Winning the war against COVID-19 is a collective responsibility.”

Of the 442 cases of COVID-19 confirmed by the NCDC in 19 states and the federal capital territory as of April 16, none was recorded in Jigawa.