Covid-19 Index Case in Kogi is False, Kabba Monarchs, Elders Cry Out

Spread the love

Covid-19 Index Case in Kogi is False, Kabba Monarchs, Elders Cry Out

 

COVID-19

The Traditional Rulers and Elders in Kabba on Friday unanimously refuted the purported Covid-19 index case recorded for Kogi by the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) describing it as ”false”.

His Royal Majesty, the Obaro of Kabba, Oba Solomon Owoniyi, who led other royal fathers and elders at a press conference in his palace in Kabba, insisted that the purported Covid-19 index case in Kogi, Sheikh Ahmad Eijubunu, who is the Chief Imam of Kabba, was stung by swarm of bees, and not Covid-19 as claimed by NCDC.

The monarch, therefore appealed to Gov. Yahaya Bello to relax the lockdown on Kabba/Bunu Local Government Area, saying the measure was causing untold hardships to the people of the area.

Gov. Bello had on June 3 imposed a 14-day total lockdown on Kabba/Bunu local government area, to enable the State Government to conduct contact tracing of possible Index case of COVID-19 in the area.

Owoniyi warned politicians in Kogi west district to stop politicising issue that has to do with life and wellbeing of the people, saying the chief imam was stung by bees and not Covid-19.

”I want to use this opportunity to once again appeal to His Excellency the Governor of Kogi State, that we in Kabba/Bunu are in support of the Government and we have no reason whatsoever to undermine his authority.

”In my capacity as the Chairman of Okun Area Traditional Council, I want to categorically say that we completly dissociate ourselves from those who have been making disparage remarks about the governor and his Government.

”We have not sent anybody to insult His Excellency, we have not mandated anybody to defend us in an issue that is completely in the purview of the State Government,” the monarch said.

The royal father expressed dismay at which politicians hijacked simple problem that the state government has the capacity to handle, saying, ”we want to completely dissociate ourselves from them.

”It is our believe that there should be a stop to politicising every issue that arises. After the election comes governance”.

”So, we are appealing to these politicians who want to make Kabba/Bunu their battle field to step aside, and give peace a chance.

”Our farmers have lost great farm produce and lots of farmland to herdsmen in these two days, and we don’t want it to continue.

”I don’t want to discuss the politics of Covid-19, but the economic impacts on our rural and poor people is very devastating.

We are appealing to His Excellency to lift this ban; the discomfort should be minimised for the benefits of our people.

”I have personally pleaded with the governor that we cannot survive 48 hours of lockdown. We are pleading with governor to do a rethink so that our people can go back to business.

”Even with this level of compliance to the lockdown, we are proud to tell the governor that our people are very law abiding and we will not do anything to undermine his authority.

”By the time the ban is lifted, we are appealing to our politicians to allow governance to take proper shape and allow the governor to do his job.

”Once again, I enjoin the people of Kabba/Bunu, to remain law abiding, we believe by the grace of God that the governor will listen to our plea and lift the ban, and at the end of the day, we will have cause to thank God,” the royal father said.

Earlier, HRH, Oba Michael Yusuf, the Obadofin of Owe land, Kabba, said that the chief Imam did not have any coronavirus, saying it was false.

He stressed that those politicians that were making noise and insulting the governor were not leaving with them at home, and did not know what happened.

”The chief imam is very close to me and we all know that he was stung by swarm of bees. So, where did the coronavirus come from? The high temperature he had was as a result of the bees.

”The chief Imam did not have that thing (coronavirus); if at all they say he has it, then, he did not contracted it in Kabba.

”I believe and I can swear that he doesn’t not carry that thing in Kabba, so let them trace it to any order place; we don’t have coronavirus in Kabba/Bunu and in Kogi.

”We are appealing to the governor, we are begging him to just relax the lockdown for us.

”These two days are like 100 days because our people feed daily on whatever they get; the lockdown has destroyed our economy in Kabba/Bunu.

”Even in my own farm, I have just received information that the cows have destroyed the maize and over one hectare of my cassava farm. So, if we are to be lockdown for two weeks everything will be destroyed.

”We are appealing to the governor to just lift the ban for us and God will bless him,” Yusuf said.

On his part, Chief Iseolorunkanmi Matthew, an Elder and former Caretaker Chairman, Kabba/Bunu LGA, said the incidence was being fueled by some group of people who did not have the interest of Kabba people at heart.

”When this issue came up, there was no proper information from the people that ran to the press and started giving false information.

”We are all living witness that the chief imam was attacked by swarm of bees which made him to run temperature and he was taken to General Hospital Kabba, after which he was referred to Lokoja and later to Abuja.

”But the news we heard was that he has been infected with coronavirus which is neither the truth nor the real situation.

”So we want to appeal to the governor to have compassionate feeling for Kabba/Bunu people, and relax the lockdown. We have learnt our lesson in a hard way,” Matthew said.

He explained that aside herdsmen destroying their farm land, most of their perishable crops in the farm were being wasted because no markets to sell them.

”When we were still going to farm the herdsmen still come to destroy our farms talkless of when we will not be there for two weeks; they will destroy everything.

”I can assure you that we don’t have covid-19 in Kabba, but the enemy of the community has continued to give false information.

”So, I want to again beg the governor to have compassion on our people and relax the lockdown,” Matthew said.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *