Coronavirus: NYSC DG clears air on resident officer who allegedly died in camp

The National Youth Service Corps, NYSC, on Wednesday, clarified its position on the death of one of its resident officer who allegedly died of COVID-19 at Kano Orientation camp.

Vanguard had reporter earlier that the officer, whose name was withheld, was posted to the permanent orientation camp in Kano a few days before he developed COVID-19 symptoms and died on Tuesday.

The deceased officer reportedly went to the Kano camp where he represented Shuaibu Ibrahim, the director-general of the NYSC.

However, NYSC’s Director-General, Shuiabu Ibrahim in a programme by Channels TV monitored by Vanguard, explained that all prospective corps members for the three-week course underwent the COVID-19 test, conducted by the Nigerian Centre for Disease Control (NCDC), as a prerequisite condition for admission into any of the 37 camps nationwide.

The DG denied that the deceased officer died at the Permanent Orientation Camp at Kano while urging members of the public to debunk the rumour doing the round.

“First and foremost, it’s not true that the resident officer died in the camp. In line with the COVID-19 guideline, all prospective corps members and camp officials that were invited for the orientation exercise were tested. It’s mandatory that all must be tested, and only those negative are allowed to the camp while those positive are taken away by the NCDC for treatment and that’s what happened.

“The staff concerned just like other prospective corps members and camp officials underwent test and when is positive, he’s taken away by the NCDC staff to the Kano State Isolation Centre. So, that’s where he (deceased officer) passed on,” he said.