survive 2 weeks lockdown, Obaro of Kabba begs Gov. Bello

• As State Govt. refuse additional positive figure

The Obaro of Kabba and Chairman Okun Traditional Council, HRM, Dele Owoniyi has begged the Kogi State government to relax the two weeks lockdown imposed on the communities saying the town cannot survive it

The state is still grappling to come to an agreement on the two index cases declared by the centre last week Wednesday, prompting the governor of the state, Yahaya Bello to declared two weeks absolute lockdown in Kabba, the council area of the alleged index cases; which is already been implemented.

The state medical team from the state headquarters, Lokoja along with newsmen had been in the community for contact tracing and testing following the alleged two index cases from the community and was at the palace for a courtesy call.

But speaking at his palace in Kabba, the Paramount ruler said the lockdown which is just into the second day has already brought devastating hardship to the community.

“The lockdown is with mixed feelings. I’m not happy. I don’t want to dwell on the technicalities and politics of covid19.

‘I want to publicly apologize to the state government about the political emotions that have greeted the Covid19. There must be an end to politicking. One of those politicians who forced the governor to make this proclamation is not even from the town. Those ones from the community have whisked away from their families to Abuja.

“The statement of political actors is personal and not for the community. We are not a party to opposition politics. We don’t want Kabba to be a battlefield for political contests.

“The lockdown has affected my people whose way of life is to go out on a daily basis to survive. We are at the period of our festival and their actions have affected our fundamental human rights from going out. Our ancestors will rise against those who brought this lockdown on us.

‘We beg the government to relax the lockdown and continue with the protocol of contact tracing and testing. Within this Lockdown time, our farms have been taken over by cattle herders who have eaten up our farmlands.

This will give room for hunger in days later. Let’s put aside the politics, because of the hunger and poverty that will follow.

“We cannot survive two weeks lockdown. If within two days this is what we’ve experienced, imagine what will be at the end of 14 days. I beg again, let the governor relax the lockdown.”

However, the State government has refused to accept the additional figure by the Nigerian Center for Disease Control, NCDC that Covid19 positive cases have risen to three in the state, said they were not aware of the situation.

The State Commissioner for Health, Dr. Haruna Saka on Thursday said the state will not accept the fictitious figure from the centre as they were not in the picture of the patients.

Saka who said no sample was taken from the state wondered how the NCDC got the sample, where they conduct the test before proclaiming the figure for the state.