NCDC officials leave Kogi State after governor demanded COVID-19 test, isolation

Officials of the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) have left Kogi State after allegedly refusing to be tested for COVID-19.

The delegation was sent to the state on Thursday to boost the State’s capacity in the fight against the pandemic.

However, they returned to Abuja, after Governor Yahaya Bello asked them to go into isolation and prepare to be tested.

In a statement, Kogi Commissioner for Information, Kingsley Fanwo, wondered if NCDC was hiding anything.

“So NCDC will have a lot to explain as to why its officials refused to test for COVID-19. How can we be sure of their status? What are their fears? Why did NCDC send people who are afraid of tests to our state? What was their intention?

“The officials that came have done an integrity blow to the works of the NCDC. Is there something they are hiding? It is high time NCDC opened up and apologized to the good people of Kogi State. How will they encourage people to test when their own officials are afraid of test? This is sad,” part of the statement read.