President Muhammadu Buhari’s Senior Special Assistant on Media and Publicity, Garba Shehu, among other aides to the president, were denied access into the Presidential Villa in Abuja for violating NCDC guidelines after attending the burial of late Chief of Staff to the President, Mallam Abba Kyari, where large crowds reportedly attended, most of whom had no nose mask or hand gloves on them for protection against Coronavirus.
This development violated the social distancing rule put in place by the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and exposed attendees including the Presidential aides to the risk of contracting the highly contagious and deadly disease, which claimed the life of Kyari.
Some of the Presidency aides denied access into Aso Villa according to Sahara, includes; State House Chief Protocol Officer, Ambassador Lawal Kazaure, Special Assistant to the President, Yusuf Sabiu, a nephew to the President, Musa Haro Daura, and Senior Special Assistant on Media and Publicity to the, Garba Shehu.
Others are National Security Adviser, Babagana Monguno, Director-General of National Intelligence Agency, Mr Ahmad Rufai, and Personal Assistant on New Media to President Buhari, Bashir Ahmed, among several more persons.
“Security personnel at the Villa turned back the aides of President Muhammadu Buhari after attending the burial ceremony of Mallam Kyari and coming in contact with several persons against the rule of the NCDC.
“President Buhari is not happy that the aides decided to violate clear protocols and guidelines of the NCDC and he directed that they should keep off the Presidential Villa to undergo self-isolation,” according to SR siting Presidential sources.
Late CoS Abba Kyari succumbed to coronavirus after weeks of battling with the deadly disease which has claimed over 150,000 lives worldwide since it was first reported back in November 2019.
Kyari has since been buried earlier today, Saturday 18th April, at Gudu Cemetery in Abuja.