Rilwan Okpanachi, his wife and daughter were infected by COVID-19 during their recent visit to Ogugu, Olamaboro Local Government Area of Kogi state. Still recuperating at the COVID-19 Isolation and Treatment Centre in Idu, Abuja, the legal practitioner explains how he was intimidated by government officials for opening up on his status, called an alarmist and trolled on social media by those he referred to as “data boys”
How did you come about contacting COVID-19 and where?
I left Abuja hale and hearty on 10th June, 2020 for my community, Ogugu, Olamaboro Local Government Area, Kogi state because I lost my father in-law the previous day, that is, 9th June, 2020. I spent a week and a day at home. On the 6th day at home, I started having fever, headache and loss of taste and smell. I immediately started steaming and treating my self for malaria and typhoid, but when my wife also became sick, we had to return to Abuja, isolated ourselves in the house and contacted NCDC for coronavirus test. The test was carried out on my wife, my two daughters– three years and nine months and myself. The results came out positive for me, my wife and my three-year old daughter but negative for my nine-month old daughter. Consequently, we were asked to proceed to Idu Isolation and Treatment Centre where we are being currently treated.
How did you find your way to Abuja for treatment.? Any contact tracing of all the people you came in contact with?
We drove back to Abuja in my car and upon arriving Abuja, we isolated ourselves.
You did a social media post to draw attention to the deadly virus, which drew the ire of Kogi state government. What exactly happened?
Upon receiving the results and arriving at the treatment centre, I made a post on my Facebook wall and Twitter handle disclosing my status, explaining the circumstances, and calling on NCDC to go to the community to carry out comprehensive tests and arrest community transmission.
Without reaching out to me and my family to either verify my position and/or sympathise with my family, a poorly and hastily written press release was issued by a non existent Squadron Committee on COVID-19 of Kogi state authored by one Edward Onoja who I letter discovered to be the Deputy Governor of Kogi state who, incidentally is from my community, Ogugu.
The press release was not only poorly written, riddled with obvious and avoidable errors but predicated on opinions of some uninformed persons who are neither scientists nor medical experts. The press release was devoid of any iota of empathy, humanity and responsibility, as it places no importance on my life, that of my wife and most regrettably, the life of my three-year old daughter. I have been receiving insults, threats and intimidation from persons considered as foot soldiers or data boys of the government. However, I refused to be threatened, intimidated and silent.
Having tested positive and having had contact with people in the community, I’m under a moral duty to disclose my status and draw people’s attention to it with a view to creating awareness and protecting, particularly, the vulnerable persons in the society.
How do you feel when the Kogi state government continuously maintains there is no COVID-19 in the state?
I felt disappointed and let down that a government whose primary Constitutional responsibility is protection of lives and property of the citizenry is unapologetically abdicating such an important responsibility. I pity the people residing in Kogi State, particularly the elderly and vulnerable ones. They have no one to run to, not even the Federal government in the circumstance.
How are you coping with the situation in the isolation centre in Abuja?
We are coping quite well at the Isolation and Treatment Centre. The Centre is decent and everything is in good condition. I must say that, we are receiving quality treatment here. They just came to take our sample for another test. We hope to be discharged soon If the results turn out negative.
What are your concerns for the people of Kogi state?
As a family, we are lucky to have been blessed with strong immunity and not to have any underlying ailments. However, what of other persons in the society that are not as lucky as we are? Hence, the reason why we had to warn the public, to serve as warning to others.
Credit: VerityNews
