Protest rocks Gombe Community as COVID-19 Patients decry ill-treatment

There is pandemonium in Kwadon Community as COVID-19 patients at isolation facility in Kwadon community, Yamaltu Deba Local Government Area (LGA) of Gombe on Tuesday forced their way out of the facility to protest over the ill treatments by the state government and the COVID-19 Taskforce.

Our correspondent learnt that nearly 20 patients took over the Federal highway linking Gombe state to Biu community in Borno state.

The patients were said to be protesting over improper care which according to them had worsen their medical condition within the isolation facilities and as such would prefer to get outside for self-medication and proper care.

An eyewitness at the protest scene who spoke to our correspondent on the condition of anonymity said “we in the community have been in serious shock knowing how dangerous this disease is.”
“Government should do the needful before it gets out of hand because the patients we saw today are really angry and we don’t know what could happen next.

“They were chanting that the state government lied against their status while some were saying they were fine. This is serious,” he said.

Commenting on the protest, Commissioner of Information and Culture, Alhassan Ibrahim Kwami, said the patients protested because they misunderstood their Coronavirus status.
He said all the patients at the Isolation centre are asymptomatic, so there is no need to give them any drug.

“Not knowing that they are asymptomatic and there is no way anybody can be giving drug without showing any symptoms

According to him, the third issue was, one of the patients is having an ailment which they were not comfortable sharing bathroom with.

He further urged the patients to be calm while assuring them that, the task force will do everything possible to address their grievances.