The Benue State Governor, Samuel Ortom had told the alleged index case of coronavirus in the state, Mrs. Susan Okpe, that he is not responsible for her problems.
Okpe who was based in the United Kingdom was in the state in March for a burial. She had accused the Federal and State governments in a viral video for keeping her in an isolation center, claiming she was COVID-19 positive and named as the index case in the state.
Okpe claimed that she had not taken any medication in her 43 days in isolation and had developed no symptoms for COVID-19.
She accused that Ortom is stigmatizing her by disclosing her identity and not forwarding the result of the test to her.
The Governor in a statement by his Chief Press Secretary, Terver Akasa, on Saturday denied her accusation, saying that the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control carried out the coronavirus test on her. The Governor also said he had no regret in revealing her identity.
According to the statement, “The decision was made in the best interest of the people of the state who have continued to appreciate the governor for the proactive approach to contain the pandemic. With the identity of the index case known, tracing and isolating all who came in contact with her became easy.
“It is the constitutional duty of the governor to ensure the safety and wellbeing of his people. Section 26 (2) (e) of the National Health Act 2014 gives the government the powers to disclose information relating to a person if ‘non-disclosure of the information represents a serious threat to public health’.”
He added, “Even in the United Kingdom where she left for Nigeria, the Prime Minister tested positive for COVID-19 and went public to say that he had contracted the disease. He was treated and later discharged.
“But here, Mrs. Okpe has refused treatment and taken to the daily production of videos to castigate all medical personnel who attempt to attend to her, government officials, and anyone who holds a contrary opinion regarding her case.”
“It is important to state that Ortom is not the architect of Mrs. Okpe’s problems. If there is anyone who promotes unity and shows love to the various ethnic groups in Benue State, that person is Ortom.
“She claimed not to have seen her COVID-19 test results, and in another breath described the same results as fake. How was she able to know that the results are fake without seeing them?”
