After 43 days in “forceful detention,” Susan Okpe, the woman whose name was announced as the index case of COVID-19 in Benue state, has cried out.
She insists she doesn’t have COVID-19 yet her name is being publicized and as if that was not enough, no medication were given to her for the 43 days she’s been kept in isolation, yet she has no symptoms.
She added that the COVID-19 test result presented to her by Benue state was fake as the age and other personal information there were not hers. According to Okpe, the date of admission written on the test was false, because, on the date they claim they took her sample, she was still in England.
She adds that the NCDC has done three more tests since then but they won’t show her the results.
Okpe also accused the Benue state governor of traumatizing, stigmatising, dehumanizing her and insists they release her since she has shown no symptoms even though she hasn’t taken any medication for 43 days.
She said she only went to the hospital due to body pains resulting from jet lag and, next thing, the Benue state government claimed she has COVID-19 and has been using her to drive an agenda.
Ms Okpe said she came into Nigeria on March 22 and went to the community clinic on March 24 to complain of body pains. She was treated and was about to be discharged when she got information that her name has already been publicized in the media as the index case of COVID-19 in Benue state.
Okpe added that when she insisted on having a test done before she will accept that she has Coronavirus, her sample was taken and they later presented her with a result claiming she tested positive for COVID-19. However, she says that was not her result because the dates were wrong.
According to Okpe, the Benue state government claim she came into Nigeria on February 28 and was admitted on March 16. However, she says she was still in England on both dates and only returned to Nigeria on March 22 for her mum’s burial and went to the hospital on March 24.
Okpe who says she is “afraid” for her life and fears there’s more to her detention, has reportedly refused to take any medications until the state government present her with a ”real” COVID-19 result.
She says that they’ve brought psychiatric doctors to talk to her because she refused to take any of the medications they’ve been giving her.
Okpe also accused the Benue state governor of stigmatization. She says the way he has treated her will make Coronavirus patients reluctant to come forward.
She added that Governor Ortom owes her an apology, and that he should also apologise to the whole of Benue state and the NCDC, for making their work harder.
Watch her share her story in the video below.
