Fred Itua, Abuja
Former Borno State governor, Ali Modu Sheriff, has denied media reports that he evaded Borno State COVID-19 team and escaped to Abuja in order to evade a medical test.
Media adviser to the former governor, Kolo Adam, in a statement made available to newsmen on Sunday night, said the former People’s Democratic Party (PDP) chairman and his family members were recently tested and their results were negative.
He also dismissed claims that he came in contact with the late Shehu of Bama. He also denied insinuations that the lead traditional ruler attended the funeral of his late father.
The statement read: “Our attention has been drawn to a false publication trending in online, making round baseless report that former Borno governor, “Ali Modu Sheriff, Tricks Health Officials, Flees To Abuja To Avoid COVID-19 Test Despite Close Contact With Dead Victims.”
“The online platform said it gathered that Sheriff had refused to make himself available for COVID-19 test despite meeting two prominent citizens of the state, who died of the virus recently.
“It further claimed that member of the state prevention and response team said the former governor was one of the contacts being traced and linked up with late former governor, Mohammed Goni, and Shehu of Bama, Alhaji Kyari Elkanemi, who both died of the virus.
“Therefore, let me unequivocally respond that all the above were information prepared with malicious intention full of political gimmicks.
“The late Shehu of Bama did not have contact with Sheriff for the past one year; and was not present at the burial of Senator Sheriff’s father, talk less of attending the funeral prayers that can warrant for a meeting between the two.
“There was no place where Sheriff shook hands with anybody during the burial of his late father, not to talk of coming in contact with late Goni during the funeral procession.
“And the State COVID 19 Committee when contacted refuted such unfortunate report and revealed that it had never invited Sheriff for a test.
“For the record, Sheriff and his family all tested negative in Abuja, before proceeding to Maiduguri.
“Since the discovery of the virus in Nigeria, Sheriff had never undermined the issue of COVID-19 and confined himself to social distance even before the order by the federal government.
“However, it is unfortunate that naïve minded politicians instead of praying for protection started to make a mischief out of the COVID-19 pandemic.
“Meanwhile, as we are investigating the source of this unfortunate and malicious report, the public is hereby advised to ignore such fabricated information by mischief makers.”