Modu Sheriff: ‘I Am Not Running Away From COVID-19 Test Rerun, I Tested Negative Long Ago’

Former Borno state Governor, Senator Ali Modular Sheriff, on Sunday, debunked “malicious report” that he fled Maiduguri after a short visit few days ago to Abuja to avoid being subjected to another test for coronavirus (COVID-19) infection.

BIGPEN recalls Modu Sheriff’s father, Ali Sheriff, had died early hours of Thursday last week in a fire incident that engulfed his Damboa road home in Maiduguri.

Modu Sherrif was in Maiduguri same last week for the funeral of the late Galadima of Borno Emirate.

Modu Sheriff, in a statement signed by his Special Assistant on Media, Kolo Adam, said that he and members of his family had all tested negative for COVID-19 in Abuja, before proceeding to Maiduguri for the burial of his late father.

Sheriff said that while in Maiduguri, he neither come in contact nor shake hands as being erroneously claimed with Borno state former governor, Mohammed Goni, and Shehu of Bama, Alhaji Kyari Elkanemi, who both died of the virus.

According to him, since the discovery of the virus in Nigeria, he had never undermined the issue of COVID-19 and have been observing social distancing even before the order by the federal government.

The statement reads; “Our attention has been drawn to a false publication trending in Sahara Reporters that Former Borno Governor, Ali Modu Sheriff, Tricks Health Officials, Flees To Abuja To Avoid COVID-19 Test Despite Close Contact With Dead Victims.

“That Sahara Reporters, 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.

“Therefore, let me unequivocally responded that all the above were false 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 shake 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.

“However, it is unfortunate that naïve minded politicians instead of praying for protection are busy making mischief out of the COVID-19 Pandemic.

“While we are investigating the source of this unfortunate and malicious report, the general public is hereby advice to discontinuance the fabricated information by mischief makers”, the statement concluded.