15th December, 2020
By Benson Michael
Controversy has trailed the COVID-19 status of the Chief Justice of Nigeria, CJN, Tanko Muhammad, as the Supreme Court’s Director of Information, Dr Festus Akande said it was only a rumour that the CJN has contracted the virus.
Justice Ibrahim Saulawa, a member of the Supreme Court, said on Tuesday at the unveiling of the national headquarters of Muslim Lawyers’ Association of Nigeria (MULAN), in Abuja that Tanko had tested positive for COVID-19.
He said he is presently in Dubai receiving treatment.
Earlier, on Monday, Tanko who was supposed to swear in 72 new Senior Advocates of Nigeria (SAN), was absent at the ceremony.
Justice Olabode Rhodes-Vivour, the next most senior justice of the Supreme Court, administered the oath to the new SANs.
However, in a statement shortly after Saulawa confirmed Tanko’s COVID-19 status, Akande said what Saulawa said was only a rumour.
“I wish to state categorically clear that there is no medical report so far made available by anybody indicating that the Hon. CJN has tested positive for Coronavirus,” he said.
According to him, those peddling the rumour should go a step further to confirm from their sources and equally obtain the copy of whatever laboratory test result they were relying on.
He said as of this moment of issuing this statement, no one has so far shown him or any other person in Supreme Court a copy of the test result they were referring to in the report.