The Nigerian Army has cancelled the annual Chief of Army Staff Conference and asked participants to go into a 14-day self-isolation period after the death of Major General Olu Irefin from COVID-19 complications.
The late Irefin was General Officer Commanding(GOC) Six Division in Port-Harcourt, Rivers State of the Nigerian Army.
Col. Sagir Musa, the Director of Army Public Relations said in a statement on Thursday the GOC was attending the conference in Abuja before he fell ill and died.
The participants, including principal staff officers, GOCs, commandants of army schools, commanders of army operations have been asked to go into isolation for 14 days to prevent further spread of the coronavirus disease.
He said, “The Nigerian Army wishes to inform members of the public that due to resurgence of COVID 19 Pandemic in the Federal Capital Territory Abuja in what appears to be a second wave of infection cycle and the unfortunate incident on Tuesday 8 December 2020, where an officer participating in the ongoing Chief of Army Staff’s Annual Conference 2020 here in Abuja tested positive to COVID 19, the remaining activities of the conference have therefore been immediately cancelled.
“All the participants have been mandated to immediately proceed on self-isolation in line with the Federal Government’s protocol for COVID 19 and to prevent any further spread of the disease.”