From. Sadiq Abubakar Maiduguri
To. News Editor
The Borno state government has denied online reports of the confirmation of two cases of covid-19 among military personnel in Monguno local government area of the state.
The state government observed that even the National Center for Disease Control (NCDC) had on Monday denied the report and posted same on its Twitter handle.ptpp//covid+19.ncdc.org.ng.
The Borno state commissioner for information, culture and home affairs, Babakura Abba Jatau, stated this Tuesday at a press briefing in his office.
Jatau lamented that such false reports could jeopardise the efforts of government to maintain peace in the state and threaten the measures that have been put in place to prevent the spread of the disease.
His words: “It is not true. It is false news. It is fake, baseless and unfounded as we don’t have any record of any cases of covid-19 as reported and posted on some social media platforms and online newspapers.
“We deny such report and urge all journalists to always verify and report facts objectively and professionally.
“Such rumor could easily jeopardise the good efforts of government and serve as a threat to the measures government has put in place to prevent the spread of the disease as well as protect the lives of residents.
“I call on Monguno people especially, to disregard such report. It is not true. It is falsehood and fake news.”
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