COVID-19: Civil Defence Officer Arrests Patient Who Tried Escape; Fears As Officer May Have Been Infected

By Adesina Soyooye

It was a bizarre scene at the COVID-19 Isolation Centre in Kaduna on Thursday when a patient who tried to escape, engaged a Security personnel of the Civil Defence, Joshua Philip, who tried to stop him from escaping in a fight.

The officer who was keeping watch at the Centre, noticed the patient, who was trying to escape and stopped him.

But the patient snatched the keys to the gate, and tried to open it. The officer stopped him. But he said he was going to the Mosque for morning  prayers. He then engaged the officer in a fight. Luckily, the officer overpowered him.

It is not known if the officer was kitted to avoid contracting the deadly disease, but a doctor at the Centre gave him some medication, and asked that he be quarantined for 14 days and be monitored. The keys were thereafter disinfected.

A press release by the Media Assistant to the Commandant General, Ekunola Gbenga, where he narrated the story said:

“It has emerged that a COVID-19 positive patient attempted to escape from Isolation Center in Kaduna without authorization.

 “Narrating the development was Corps Assistant Joshua Philip who was posted to Infectious Disease Control Center, Down Quarters, Kaduna South to provide security services in and around the isolation centre. 

“The suspected COVlD-l9 patient tried to leave the Center for morning prayers without the permission of doctors.  A confrontation ensued between our personnel and the patient who forcefully picked the keys of the gate of the Center and tried to open the gate to escape.

“The patient was arrested by Corps Assistant Joshua Philip who was among the officers on duty at the isolation center.

 “The Covid 19 index is said to have engaged the Civil Defence Officer Joshua Philip in serious fracas after he stopped him from leaving his quarantine ward at the isolation center, this exposed the officer to the patient of the Covid 19.

 “The keys were disinfected, despite that, the doctor gave the personnel some drugs; he was instructed to self-Isolation for two weeks and to call the Center if he develops any symptoms.

 “The Corps has since strengthened its security measures in the internal isolation centre.