'It's all lies!' Gov Buni debunks reports of Covid-19 deaths in Yobe

Yobe State governor, Mai Mala Buni has debunked reports of Covid-19 related deaths in the state, and asked Nigerians to disregard an online report alleging the contrary.An online news portal had claimed that scores of people had died in the state in recent days as a result of Covid-19, but the Director General Press and Media Affairs to Yobe state governor, Mamman Mohammed, in a statement made available to us on Thursday, recalled that Yobe state was the first in Nigeria to voluntarily submit a suspected case of COVID-19 for test, whose result turned out negative.

The statement said Yobe recorded its first case just last week and to date, “there is no officially declared COVID-19 related death” in the state.

The statement reads; “Our attention has been drawn to an online report alleging COVID-19 related deaths in Yobe state. The report also claimed that His Excellency Governor Mai Mala Buni was in Abuja while his people were dying.

“We had expected the publishers to cross check their facts and reflect our position to balance the story.

“For the records, Yobe state was the very first state in Nigeria to voluntarily submit a suspected case of COVID-19 for test. Thank God, it was negative.

“The state had in spite of non-existing case, constituted a COVID-19 committee, established three isolation centres equipped with ventilators and all necessary equipment.

“Yobe recorded its first case just last week 30th April, 2020 and to date, there is no officially declared COVID-19 related death.

“Secondly, His Excellency Governor Mai Mala Buni, had not travelled out of the state for six weeks until when President Buhari invited him to Abuja to discuss security matters where he spent just three days and had since been back. Therefore, he was not outside the state nor coordinating the affairs of the state from Abuja as claimed.

“This Administration maintains an open door policy, we therefore call on the media to always contact the state government to clarify every issue before going to the press”, the statement added.