The daughter-in-law of Atiku Abubakar, as well as his grandchildren, have tested negative to the COVID-19, The PUNCH can confirm.
They are, however, on self-isolation at their home located at Taslee Palm City Estate, Uruguay Street, Maitama, Abuja.
Atiku’s son, Mohammed, who is currently being quarantined at the University of Abuja Teaching Hospital, Gwagwalada, had tested positive for the virus on Sunday.
Mohammed is married to Badriyya, the daughter of a former Governor of Bauchi State, Ahmed Muazu, who is also a former National Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party.
Speaking with The PUNCH on Monday, Mr. Zakari Aliyu, who is the Vice-Chairman of the estate, said there was no need to panic as even the immediate family of the patient had all tested negative.
Aliyu said, “The man was taken away by the NCDC around 1am. He tested positive but his wife and children all tested negative. However, they are all on self-isolation for the 14-day window and I commend the wife for cooperating with us. There is no cause for panic.
“If his immediate family has tested negative, then it is unlikely that anyone else in the estate has it.”
There have been reports on Twitter that Atiku’s son went to a club and also attended the Jumat prayers were he could have possibly infected others.
However, Aliyu told The PUNCH that Atiku had three sons in the estate and so it was easy for anyone to make a mistake.
“The truth is that Atiku has three sons in our estate. Also, our estate is big and the houses are well spaced. It is possible that there is some malice as regards the news being spread on social media.
“Also, it is not true that the estate reported the man. We had no hand in it. The CDC came to convey him to the isolation centre,” Aliyu said.
Atiku’s son, it was learnt, came into Nigeria from Switzerland which is also battling the pandemic.
Meanwhile, the estate management has issued a directive, restricting non-resident domestic servants from coming into the estate.
In a circular on Monday, the estate advised residents to limit the number of visitors even as it asked parents to ensure less interaction between their children.
The statement read in part, “We write to notify all residents of our esteemed estate that a case of the pandemic COVID-19 has been discovered in our estate. The infected resident has been safely evacuated from the estate by medical personnel from the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control to Gwagwalada Specialist Hospital, Abuja.
“In view of the above, the management of the estate in line with the directives received from the NCDC has approved the following measures effective immediately to enable us tackle the spread of the pandemic
“All non-resident domestic staff (drivers, cleaners, cooks, nannies etc) shall not be granted access into the estate. Residents are to prevent their children from playing outside your homes. Everyone should minimise the number of visitors they invite into the estate as proper screening will be carried out going forward.” (Punch)
