Benue State Governor, Samuel Ortom, on Monday, disclosed that the state has recorded its third Index case of COVID-19.
Disclosing the identity of the new index case, Ortom said that Mrs Rebecca Akpedzan who was a commissioner in the state between 1999 and 2003 tested positive for the dreaded disease.
Briefing newsmen at government house, Makurdi, Governor Ortom said the female commissioner tested positive for the disease as announced by the National Center for Disease Control (NCDC) on Sunday.
Recall that the governor said that disclosing the identity of victims was to help those who might have had contact with the people directly to come out for a test.
The governor further said that the state taskforce team on Samuel Ortom led by its chairman who is also the deputy governor of the state, Benson Abounu on Sunday intercepted a 15 seater commercial vehicle at Enugu/Otukpo roundabout.
He explained that the taskforce had information that a suspected COVID-19 case working as a security man in Ogun State was returning to Otukpo area of the state.
The governor said that the suspect who had earlier gone for COVID-19 test having fallen sick in Ogun State could not wait for the results of the test and decided to return to Otukpo when his (the suspect) master ejected him from the house.
He added that the suspect had been quarantined in Otukpo while the 14 other passengers had also been taken into isolation, adding that samples of all the passengers and the driver have been taking to Abuja and the results are being expected.
The governor who extended the restriction on social gathering said that ‘in two weeks’ time, we shall meet again to review the issue of closure of Churches and Mosques in Benue State.
He called all Benue Indigenes to be agents and report suspected cases, charging the people to maintain stay at home order, use facemasks or where they don’t have should use a handkerchief to cover their face.
The governor said that the state will appreciate donors of face masks as it could not provide for the whole people in the state.
