The Osun state government had debunked report earlier reported by some section of media that six persons who were tested positive of the COVID-19 have escaped from its isolation centre in Ejigbo, Osun State.
The Chief Press Secretary to Governor Gboyega Oyetola, Mr Ismail Omipidan disclosed this in a telephone interview with the News Agency of Nigeria this morning describing the news as fake and fabrication.
Omipidan said the report in its totality which has been circulating on mainstream media that six persons escape from isolation centre was not from the state government.
In his statement which partly reads; “There is nothing like that. The report is not true.
“The statement being circulated around is not from the state government because it was not signed by any government officials,” Omipidan said.
Meanwhile, admitted that there is an ongoing headcount at the isolation centre in Ejigbo, to confirm the authenticity of the rumour.
Also the Commissioner for Information and Civic Orientation, Mrs Funke Egbemode denied the report while addressing newsmen this morning.
Egbemode revealed that it was only two persons that could not be accounted this morning during the headcount by the government official at the isolation centre.
Her statement reads;
“Our attention has been drawn to a story purporting that six persons were missing from our Isolation centre in Ejigbo.
“One of the writers quoted a non-existent statement from the government to lend some measure of credibility to the story.
“Nothing can be further from the truth.
As a government, we have not issued any statement to confirm or deny such a story.
“Besides, a quick check showed that the name and number of the first person on the list of the purported missing patients are indeed currently in our facility in Ejigbo.
“This morning we embarked on a headcount and found out that only two persons could not be accounted for by officials stationed at the Isolation centre out of the 127 persons.
“The state government is currently investigating the matter and will ensure that the two missing persons are brought back to the Isolation centre and we will also ensure we trace all their contacts.
“We want to reiterate that any official(s) found culpable will also be dealt with accordingly.
“We implore members of the public to discountenance the alarm being raised.
We will continue to do everything to protect the lives of our citizens in this fight against Coronavirus,” she said.
Oyetola had on March 29 made a broadcast, announcing total lockdown in the state effective from midnight of March 31 to arrest the spread of the dreaded virus.