May 11: 4,399 cases, Wike demolishes hotel, Kaduna busts escapees

Nigeria case statistics stood at 4,399 with 248 new cases. The number of discharged and deaths stood at 778 and 143 respectively. The new cases were spread across 16 states and FCT, the top three being 81 in Lagos, 35 in Jigawa and 26 in Kano and Borno.

Over in Rivers State, the demolition of two hotels by the state government for flouting COVID-19 rules have generated a heated backlash on Governor Nyesom Wike.

According to the Rivers government, the hotels were demolished for flouting government’s directive on the closure of hotels as part of efforts to limit the spread of COVID-19.

The Cable news portal, reports that a human rights lawyer slammed the move as despotic and accused the Governor of arrogating onto himself powers he did not have.

“It is absolutely pathetic that under the Quarantine Act upon which the governor purportedly issued the executive order, there is no provision at all for the demolition of properties,” Tope Akinyode said in a statement.

Over in Kaduna State, security agencies apprehended two people who fled their homes after test results showed that they had contracted the virus.

Governor El-Rufai announced the “escape” decrying its potential impact on residents of the state but hours later, he confirmed that they had been found and since transferred to an isolation and treatment center.