Breaking: Bala Mohammed, Bauchi State Governor, is Coronavirus Positive

By Charles Igbo

From Bauchi State comes this bad news.

The State Governor, Senator Bala Mohammed, has tested positive for the deadly Coronavirus disease.

He is the fourth high profile Nigerian to fall victim to the virus which has defied the world, and killing its people in thousands since its outbreak, December, 2019 in Wuhan, China.

Within a space of 24 hours, Mohammed,  son of former Vice President, Atiku Abubakar,  Abba Kyari, President Muhammadu Buhari’s Chief of Staff, and now, Bauchi State Governor, have tested positive. The fourth high profile person, a former MD of PPMC, Achimugi Suleiman, passed on Monday morning, becoming the first Nigerian to die of the Virus. He had returned from London, two weeks earlier.

Bala Mohammed had sent cold shivers down the spine of Bauchi people when he self-isolated, along with five of his family members and aides after he boarded same flight with Atiku Jnr., and shook hands with him.

The NCDC subsequently took his blood sample, as well as those of his family and aides. Only his came back positive Tuesday evening.

Announcing the sad development in a press statement, Mukhtar Gidado, the Governor’s spokesperson said:

“This is to inform the general public that the results of the six initial tests carried out by the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control, NCDC, on His Excellency, Sen. Bala Mohammed, his family and aides who accompanied him to Lagos are out.

“Of the six initial tests carried out, one sample was confirmed positive of COVID-19. The positive result happens to be that of His Excellency,  Senator Bala Abdulkadir Mohammed, the Executive Governor of Bauchi State.

“At this point, it should be noted that the Governor is on self isolation, as his doctors and officials of the NCDC, have taken full charge of his quarantine.”

It is being strongly speculated that the Governor  had contacts with a number of high profile Nigerians, including his colleague-governors, before he self-isolated.