Aso Rocks Bars Mourners who attended Abba Kyari’s Burial
Aso Rocks Bars Mourners who attended Abba Kyari’s Burial
In order to curb possible spread of COVID-19 into the Presidential Villa, authorities have imposed restriction on villa staff who attended the burial of late Chief of Staff to the President, Abba Kyari.
They have been asked to self-isolate themselves according to the guidelines of the Nigeria Center for Disease Control (NCDC)
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Spokesman to President Muhammadu Buhari, Mallam Garba Shehu, has said such restriction was in order and not ill-intended in any form. Mr. Shehu himself participated in Kyari’s burial and he is among those barred from entering the villa for a while.
A Nigerian investigative platform Sahara Reporters’ story had reported that some top presidential aides were denied access into the villa after attending the burial of the president’s late Chief of Staff, Abba Kyari.
According to Sahara Reporters, President Muhammadu Buhari was not happy that the aides decided to violate clear protocols and guidelines of the NCDC and he directed that they should keep off the Presidential Villa to undergo self-isolation.
Some of the aides reportedly barred from the villa include State House Chief Protocol Officer, Lawal Kazaure; Special Assistant to the President, Yusuf Sabiu; a nephew to the president, Musa Daura, and Mr Shehu.
Others are National Security Adviser, Babagana Monguno; Director-General of National Intelligence Agency, Ahmad Rufai, and Personal Assistant on New Media to President Buhari, Bashir Ahmed, among several more persons.
However, in a series of tweet, Mr Shehu stated that the directive to stay away from the villa is not out of place.
“There is nothing extraordinary about those of us who attend Abba Kyari’s funeral being advised to distance ourselves from the Villa.
“This is in line with the standard rules put in place by the National Center for Disease Control, @NCDCgov and the Federal Ministry of Health. You do these things to stop the spread of #Coronavirus.
“For the most part, the Villa has operated digitally in the last few weeks so there is really nothing new to this,” he said.