Buhari’s aide, Abba, not COVID-19 positive, says Presidency

The Presidency says one of the aides of President Muhammadu Buhari, Sarki Abba, has not been infected by COVID-19.

It described the news as fake peddled by scaremongers.

The Senior Special Assistant on Social Affairs and Domestic Matters, Sarki Abba, had tested negative to Coronavirus.

The Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media and Publicity, Mr Garba Shehu, said the report published by an online newspaper was a sheer fabrication and brazen effort to mislead the public.

“The Presidency wishes to advise Nigerians to ignore determined agents of fake news bent on spreading false stories to the public.

“We react to the utter falsehood and disgraceful lies, a report by so-called digital newspaper which, Wednesday, claimed that President Muhammadu Buhari’s aide, Sarki Abba is COVID-19 positive.

“This report is sheer fabrication and brazen effort by the online news medium to mislead the public.

“Upon the directive of doctors and scientists and supervision of Professor Ibrahim Gambari, the Chief of Staff, all staff working for and around the President, are routinely and rigorously checked for the virus,” a statement said.

“The general public is hereby advised to ignore such stories that are intended to mislead the people and create unnecessary anxiety about the safety of the President.

“Don’t let yourself to be manipulated by any medium that thrives on yellow journalism and specialises in peddling fake news in the desperate quest for the market and donor money,” it advised.