CJN not COVID-19 positive – S/Court

By Vivian Okejeme, Abuja

The Supreme Court yesterday rubbished the report that claimed that there is anxiety over the health of the Chief Justice of Nigeria (CJN) Muhammad Ibrahim Tanko.
The reports that questions the CJN’s state of health was informed by his conspicuous absent during the conferment of 72 SANs, Monday, adding that the Chief Justice has not been seen in public for weeks.
In another development, a statement credited to one of the Supreme Court Justices, alleged that the CJN is COVID-19 positive, adding that he is receiving treatment in Dubai.
Reacting, Dr. Akande Festus, Director of Press and Information the Apex Court said that there is no iota of truth in the claim being peddled by the publication.
According to him, the SC can categorically clear that there is no medical report so far made available by anybody indicating that the CJN has tested positive for Coronavirus or otherwise that has shown any anxiety over the CJN’s health.
The Statement reads; ‘’Our attention has been drawn to the story currently in circulation with the above caption which was published on page 38 of This Day newspaper on Tuesday 15th December, 2020.
‘’It’s necessary to state that there’s no iota of truth in the claim being peddled by the publication, as there hasn’t been any indication made public or otherwise that has shown any anxiety over the CJN’s health.
‘’This is obviously a product of the imagination of the author of the concocted story which has literally failed the test of sound, investigative journalism as no form of enquiries were made by the Reporter before hitting the public domain with this baggage of falsehoods to mislead the public by crying wolf where none is in sight.
‘’The Hon. CJN, Justice Ibrahim Tanko Muhammad being unavoidably absent at a function is not enough to plunge into this premeditated conclusion that there’s now “anxiety over his health.”
‘’The other aspect of this monumental falsehood is the erroneous claim that the “CJN has not been seen in public for weeks.” We are still at a loss as to where the Reporter got that malicious information from, as the CJN has been very active and even presided over the swearing in of the newly appointed Justices of the Supreme Court a few weeks back.
‘’It should be noted that no business survives on falsehood. You cannot whip up sentiments through sensational reports to attract traffic to your media organisation.
‘’Certainly such practice leads to nowhere. We must eschew acts capable of eroding our good values at all times.
‘’In furtherance to the press statement earlier issued, 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.
‘’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 are relying on.
‘’As of this moment of issuing this statement, no one has so far shown me or any other person in Supreme Court a copy of the test result they are referring to in the report, the statement concluded.