Abba Kyari’s remains before the burial at Gudu cemetery

In reaction to outcries from Nigerians who watched the event on television, the Federal Capital Territory Administration, (FCTA), Abuja, on Saturday said it had rounded up and quarantined all those who participated in the burial of Abba Kyari, Chief of Staff to President Muhammadu Buhari without the use of the necessary kits to prevent them from contracting coronavirus.

Kyari who died on Friday in Lagos from covid-19 complications was buried at Gudu Cemetery, Abuja on Saturday morning.

But Nigerians were alarmed as they saw on television huge crowd of people who were not observing the social distancing directive prescribed for stopping the spread of the virus participating in the burial ceremony.

Also, the remains of the late Chief of Staff was handled with regards for protocols stipulated by the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control, while one of the participants at the burial was seen carelessly disposing personal protection equipment.

This generated strong reaction as those who watched the burial on television feared that it may be the beginning of explosion of covid-19 in Abuja.

As such, there were suggestions that all those who attended the burial should be quarantined and tested for the virus.

In a statement on Saturday, FCTA said this is exactly what it will do.

“All the individuals, including the man in question that participated in the burial and were not properly kitted have been identified and are being isolated.

“Necessary tests will conducted on all of them to determine their level of exposure and ensure that they do not infect other people,” FCTA said in the statement signed by its acting secretary in the Health and Human Resources Secretariat, Dr. Mohammed Kawu.

He also spoke on the video clip trending in social media, showing a man pulling off his Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) unprofessionally after participating in the burial of the late Abba Kyari, at the Gudu cemetery, Abuja.

Dr.  Mohammed Kawu gave assurance that the  said PPE left over by the said individual has been professionally evacuated and that the entire cemetery has been decontaminated

“The Administration has also taken steps to ensure that all future burials of victims of COVID 19 are conducted in line with protocols established by the Nigerian Centre for Disease Control (NCDC).

“Residents are therefore urged to remain calm and rest assured that the FCT Administration will continue to do all that is necessary to curtail and eventually end the spread of the Coronavirus in the FCT.”