By Omeiza Ajayi & Adeola Badru
THE Provost and Deputy Provost of University of Ibadan, UI, College of Medicine, Professors Ezekiel Olapade-Olaopa and Obafunke Denloye, have tested positive for coronavirus.
Also, Comptroller General of Nigeria Immigration Service, Muhammad Babandede, has tested positive for coronavirus days after he returned from the United Kingdom.
Olapade-Olaopa, who made this known in a Whatsapp group message, yesterday, said: “Dear colleagues, I wish to inform you that the Deputy Provost and I tested positive for COVID-19, following the tests done on Friday.
“Although we are both asymptomatic, we have gone into self-isolation for 14 days, while our contacts are being observed closely to determine if they should also be tested.
“It is, however, unsure whether the duo are new cases or parts of the four cases confirmed by Nigeria Centre for Disease Control, NCDC, last night.
“NCDC had announced that the total number of confirmed coronavirus cases in the state is now seven.”
Before Saturday night’s announcement, the number of confirmed case in the state was only three.
A breakdown of cases in the country, according to the NCDC, shows that Oyo State now has the third highest number of confirmed cases in the country behind only Lagos and FCT.
Following are the breakdown of the 97 confirmed cases in the country: Lagos- 59; FCT- 16; Ogun- 3; Enugu- 2; Ekiti- 1; Oyo- 7; Edo- 2; Bauchi- 2; Osun-2; Rivers-1; Benue -1; and Kaduna-1
A statement from the media office of the service, signed by one Sunday James, said Babandede had since gone into self-isolation.
The statement read: “The Comptroller General of Nigeria Immigration Service, Muhammad Babandede, has gone into self-isolation since he returned from the UK.
“As a top official of government, he has adhered to the NCDC instructions to self-isolate and undergo test.
“The result of the test came out positive, hence the need to make it public. He conveys his goodwill to all and he is in stable condition, responding to treatment.
“The Comptroller-General is active and directing as expected, the affairs of the service online, while the Deputy Comptroller General overseeing the administration of the service is in touch online to keep service activities running within this period.
“The Nigeria Immigration Service community will continue to deliver on its mandate for the nation, even in this trying times as we pray the whole world get over it, Nigeria inclusive.”
Babandede had returned to Nigeria through a British Airways flight, which touched down in Lagos on March 22.
