By Kayode Idowu, Maiduguri
Borno State Government said the three Imams caught conducting Juma’at prayers during the lockdown would be prosecuted.
The Borno State Commissioner of Information, Babakura Abba-Jatto who disclosed this to reporters in his office in Maiduguri, said the Chief Imam of Borno and the Shehu of Borno have been informed of the violation and their arrest, vowing that adequate sanction would be meted to them to serve as deterrent to others.
He however admitted that the issue has to be threaded with care so as not to ignite religious violence considering the culture of the people and the season of Ramadan.
He said it was important for everyone to keep by the order of the lockdown, noting that “if only one person infected attends the prayers in a mosque with 1,000 people only God knows how many people will also be infected.
“We can only practice our religion only when we are in good health”, pointing out that the pandemic which started more than 17,000 kilometres away has all spread all over the world, hence no one should take the total lockdown order for granted.
Also speaking at the briefing, The Borno State Commissioner for Health, Dr. Salihu Kwaya-Bura disclosed that there are 15 active cases in Borno now.
He noted that three additional cases were recorded as at the time of the briefing . He said of the 15, five are in the isolation centre, seven at the University ot Maiduguri Teaching Hospital (UMTH) isolation centre and one at the Brigadier Abba Kyari isolation centre.
The Commissioner also said that 145 people are in self isolation and are being monitored but none of them has manifested any symptoms.
He said two suspects have been brought in from Dikwa today along with some samples, adding that 17 samples have equally been received from Pulka where the index case was reported.
Kwaya-Bura stated that in view of the Ramadan fasting, the Committee will grant a widow of time to grinding machine operators, women who fry bean cake, Masa, yams, sellers of ice blocks, bread, for those fasting to be able to get something to break their fast.