Spokesman of the COVID-19 Response,Solomon Jamiru has confirmed that swab tests conducted on the corpse of former Education Minister,Dr. Minkailu Bah turned out positive for the Coronavirus disease.
He said he was swabbed after he presented late at the hospital with symptoms matching case definition for Covid.
However, a family source said the corpse was handed over to them for burial yesterday Tuesday by the District EOC and they were informed that he had no signs of COVID-19.
Tunde Scott
When Comrade Dr Minkailu Bah passed on, the family and the party fully complied with COVID 19 guidelines by reporting the death to the authorities who took possession of the body of the late man. Even when the time and date of burial was slated, it was tentative in anticipation of a clearance (based on a swab result) from the health authorities which was expected at 11am yesterday. Therefore when the health authorities handed over the body of the late Comrade Dr. Minkailu Bah with the approval, which was without reservations, for them to go on with the burial, saying it was safe to do so, the family went ahead with the burial of their loved. Now, a day later, unbelievably, after the remains of deceased former Minister of Education, Science and Technology has been duly laid to rest, the authorities have come back with the incredible: that the late man had signs and symptoms of COVID -19 and was deemed to be positive of the disease.
Anyone who saw the videos and photos of that funeral yesterday, would conclude that if what the authorities are now saying is true, then they, whose responsibility it is to protect the public have, in fact, exposed so many people and the whole country, with such a weak healthcare system, to an infectious disease that is so devastating even for developed countries.
For anyone to descend to such depths in the dogged determination to embarrass political opponents, by displaying such cavalier attitude in handling of a public health emergency as devastating as this COVID -19 pandemic, simply defies commonsense. It is worrying that our politics has become so caustic that some would display such downright ineptitude, dereliction and shambolism in the execution of their responsibilities.
Now with what they have done, they have put themselves in a very bad light and made the fight against a ravaging infectious disease even more difficult.
