President Muhammadu Buhari has come under criticism for the movement, and burial of his Chief of Staff, Mallam Abba Kyari.
The Coalition of United Political Parties CUPP said the Buhari led government’s recklessness and irresponsibility have jeopardized the fight against Coronavirus, adding that the virus might be out of control in Nigeria.
CUPP, in a statement signed by its National Publicity Secretary, Ikenga Imo Ugochinyere and made available to DAILY POST on Friday, said Buhari’s government acted recklessly by moving the remains of Kyari from Lagos State, a clear violation of the World Health Organisation, WHO’s COVID-19 protocol.
The Coalition also noted that Buhari has violated the Federal Government regulations on the disposal of bodies of infected people and also violating the Abuja and Lagos lockdown rules.
CUPP, therefore, called for the disbanding of the Presidential Task Force on COVID-19 led by the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, SGF, Boss Mustapha for authorizing violations of all measures put in place to curtail the spread of the dreaded virus.
The opposition political parties also want all those who participated in the movement of Kyari’s body; all those that were seen at the Defence House and the hundreds at the burial ground to be quarantined for fourteen days.
According to CUPP, all those who attended the burial in violation of the lockdown order should be arrested and prosecuted.
“CUPP is shocked at the facts which have emerged following the death of Mallam Abba Kyari in a private medical facility where he was being treated and his remains immediately taken to Abuja for burial at the Gudu cemetery,” The statement said.
“By these revealed facts, it has become obvious that the Buhari government’s recklessness, impunity, and irresponsibility has jeopardized and compromised the fight against the dreaded virus and the situation might get out of hand.
“The Buhari government acted recklessly by moving the remains of Mallam Abba Kyari from Lagos to Abuja in violation of the World Health Organization COVID-19 protocol, federal government quarantine and infectious diseases regulations on how to dispose of the dead bodies of infected people and for violating the Lagos and Abuja lockdown regulations. As of the time of the announcement of the death of the Chief of Staff, the NCDC had reported a total of 17 deaths and the Minister of Information had announced that corpses of victims of the virus would not be released to families for burial. Why have all the others who died weeks before Mallam Kyari not been buried?
“The Presidential Task Force led by Secretary to the Government of the Federation should be disbanded for directly authorizing violation of all measures put in place to curtail the spread of the virus, hosting an infected body in government presidential building the Defense House in Maitama and an effective and responsive team to be headed by the Vice President set up immediately to lead us through this battle against Coronavirus.
