Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar says his son has tested positive for the coronavirus disease (COVID-19).

Abubakar disclosed this in a tweet on his verified Twitter handle on Sunday night.

He did not mention the name of which of his sons was infected but revealed that the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control has been duly informed about the situation and that his son had been moved to the Gwagwalada Specialist Hospital in Abuja for treatment.

Abubakar, who was the presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party in the 2019 Presidential elections called for prayers for his son and urged Nigerians to stay safe.

“Coronavirus is real,” he warned.

A few hours before Abubakar made the announcement he had tweeted his support and praise for the health workers battling the virus, which has infected thousands across the world, claimed more than 12,000 lives and forced almost a billion people to stay indoors as governments move to tackle its spread.

“I join millions of other Nigerians to celebrate our health workers for their courageous work at this challenging time, and I urge all Nigerians to remain strong while we fight the scourge of this #COVIDー19 to the end,” he tweeted.

The announcement comes a day in which the NCDC announced eight new cases of coronavirus, taking the total number of confirmed cases in the country to 30.

Of the eight cases announced on Sunday, six were in Lagos, one was in Oyo State and one in the nation’s capital Abuja.

It is not clear if the case confirmed in Abuja on Sunday is Abubakar’s son or whether he represents a fresh case.

The last update provided by the NCDC is that there have been a total of 30 confirmed cases in the country.

Twenty-two of the cases were in Lagos State, four in Abuja, two in Ogun State, one in Ekiti State and one in Oyo State. (Channels TV)

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