Bauchi state Governor, Bala Mohammed, has cast aspersions on Cross River state’s COVID-19-free status.
In a press briefing on Wednesday, Mr. Mohammed said 15 COVID-19 cases in Bauchi were people travelling from Calabar, Cross River’s capital city.
He also threatened to lock down Bauchi city if the number of infections continues to rise.
According to the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC), Cross River state is the only region in the country without any confirmed cases of the novel coronavirus.
“I don’t want to join issues with anybody,” Mohammed said. “But I want to tell Nigerians that they are going to be accountable to God.
“There is no need pretending that this thing is not there. We as leaders, we must come out and face the challenges.
“We in Bauchi, we are not pretending.”
Bauchi reported a daily record high of 69 COVID-19 cases on Tuesday.
The Governor blamed the rising cases of infections on people’s lax attitude towards health guidelines such as handwashing, use of sanitisers and face masks.
“Some of our places of worship, especially the mosques, they are the epicentre of infections, and nobody is doing anything,” he said.
“I am pleading with the people of Bauchi, if this thing continues to happen – we are bordered by seven states, some of them are worse – in order to secure the common people of Bauchi, I might have to lock up Bauchi.”
