Dr. Saha Haruna-Audu

Richard Elesho/ Lokoja

The Kogi government has insisted the State is still free from the rampaging Coronavirus disease even as it has given condition for recognizing any Covid-19 test conducted outside its boundaries

In a statement issued on Wednesday by Dr. Saka Haruna Audu, Commissioner for Health said the major interest of the government is to secure lives and not in politics.

“Kogi State till this very moment is Covid-19 free. We have developed full testing capacity and have conducted hundreds of tests so far which have come back negative.

“We have also continued to insist that we will not be a party to any fictitious Covid-19 claims which is why we do not recognise any Covid-19 test conducted by any Kogite outside the boundaries of the State except those initiated by us.

The statement added that any attempt to “force us to announce a case of Covid-19 will be vehemently rejected.”

The Commissioner enjoined people to take all necessary precautions to prevent the spread of the Covid-19 pandemic into the State and urged them not to give listening ears to rumour peddlers and mischief makers.

“We are more than prepared to secure the life of our people and have no interest in playing politics with their Health concerns,” he concluded

Since beginning of the pandemic the State has seemingly been in a hide and seek with the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control, NCDC which suspects hidden cases in the State. Early this month officials of the federal agency narrowly escaped being quarantined by Governor Yahaya Bello when they visited the State on official assignment.