Kaduna Correctional Service Reacts To Alleged COVID-19 Status Of El-Zakzaky’s Wife

The Nigeria Correctional Service (NCoS), Kaduna State Command, said there is no iota of truth in the claim by members of the Islamic Movement in Nigeria (IMN) that the wife of leader of the group, Zeenah El-Zakzaky, tested positive for COVID-19 in its Kaduna facility.

The NCoS, in a statement issued by its spokesman, Mr Francis Enobore on Saturday in Abuja, said there is no single case of COVID-19 infection in any part of the Kaduna’s facility, saying all the inmates were safe and highly protected from the virus.

PlatinumPost reports that members of IMN also known as Shiites, had on Friday asked the Federal Government to immediately release Sheikh Ibrahim El-Zakzaky from custody, after his wife, Zeenah, was reported to have tested positive for the virus.

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The statement said: “The attention of the NCoS, Kaduna State Command, has been drawn to a news item being circulated by some mischief makers alleging that an inmate in one of the custodial centres in the State has contracted COVID-19.

“This is not true. None of the inmates has contracted the virus.”

The Islamic group had expressed deep worry that even six days after contracting COVID-19 while in detention at Kaduna prison, Zeenah has not been taken to any specialized hospital for her to receive proper medical care.

“We all know that COVID-19 requires an immediate response of urgent adherence to medical advice, more so, Malama Zeenah Ibrahim has been denied treatment for acute medical conditions including severe arthritis of the knee for five years now,” an official of the group, Ibrahim Musa, said in a statement on Friday.

“Yet she is still in Kaduna prison at the moment, yet to be hospitalized, and yet to receive proper health care, Musa said.

“Given her underlying medical conditions and age, her infection places her at heightened risk of severe illness and/or death”.

“Sheikh Zakzaky himself suffers from many underlying conditions which put him at high risk of developing life-threatening symptoms should he contract the virus”.

“The couple are next due to appear in court on Monday 25 January to face the bogus charges brought against them by the government of Elrufa’i. The length of time they have spent in custody since being arrested in 2015 reinforces the view that the Buhari regime is conducting a witch-hunt against the couple and abusing the judicial system in the hope that they will die quietly in custody.”

He added that “we believe Sheikh Zakzaky and his wife should not be in custody in the first place. A competent court in Abuja freed both of them on 2nd December 2016 but the federal government contemptuously refused to obey the judgement of the court.”

“We call upon the well-meaning Nigerians and the international community to prevail over the Federal and Kaduna State Governments to ensure maximum health care for this patient that is in her 60s and still grieving the extra-judicial killing of her 6 children. We pray to Almighty Allah to grant her good health, protect her husband and other inmates as well as the prison officials from this deadly virus.”

“We strongly believe that Buhari regime at the centre and the El-rufa’i led Kaduna state government should be held responsible for anything bad that happen to our leader, Sheikh Ibraheem Zakzaky and his wife.”