An officer of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency, (name withheld), who recently returned from Kano State, has been confirmed as the second case of the novel coronavirus disease in Benue State.
The second case is coming about six weeks after the index case was confirmed by the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control.
Benue State Governor, Samuel Ortom, announced the new case at a news conference in the Government House, Makurdi on Tuesday.
The NCDC had announced that Benue recorded another case of coronavirus on Monday night.
Ortom disclosed that the victim came into Benue from Kano towards the end of April.
He said the victim had already been taken to the state’s isolation centre located at Benue State University Teaching Hospital, Makurdi.
Ortom said giving the name of the patient at the press briefing was not to ridicule his image or damage his personality.
The governor said it was for the interest of those who might have had close contact with him to come out and have themselves checked for the disease early.
He said, “It is unfortunate that I stand before you this morning to announce to you and Benue people that another case of COVID-19 has come to the state. His name is (name withheld). He is an indigene of Benue but works with the National Drugs Law Enforcement Agency, Kano State Command.
“He came to Makurdi towards April ending and was immediately traced, quarantined and his sample taken to Abuja for a test but when the result came out, he tested positive.
“It is fortunate that the victim is cooperating with the state and I want to assure people that anybody with this kind of condition will not be neglected. Therefore, I want to urge everyone who had come into the state to come forward and present themselves to the committee for necessary action in their best interest.
“There is nothing wrong having you tested; even myself as a governor, I have tested for the disease but it came out negative while other governors tested positive. COVID-19 has no medicine but the medicine but its cure, for now, is to stay at home, maintain social distancing.”
The governor stated that the state committee is investigating how the victim transported himself to the state despite the lockdown across the nation.
