The Senior Special Assistant on Media and Publicity to the President, Mr Garba Shehu, has reacted to certain reports making the rounds regarding some persons in the Presidency being barred from entering the Aso Rock Villa.

Following the circumstances surrounding the death of Abba Kyari, some persons who attended the burial of the late chief of staff were asked to distance themselves from Aso Rock.

Shedding light on the situation, Mr Garba Shehu stated that there is nothing special about people being barred from entering the villa after attending Abba Kyari’s funeral.

He said on Sunday that the only reason some top government officials were denied access to the presidential villa after they attended the burial was in line with guidelines put in place by the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC).

According to a series of tweets on Sunday, Mr Shehu said the action was part of regulations put in place to curb the spread of COVID-19.

“There is nothing extraordinary about those of us who attend Abba Kyari’s funeral being advised to distance ourselves from the Villa.

“This is in line with the standard rules put in place by the National Center for Disease Control, @NCDCgov and the Federal Ministry of Health. You do these things to stop the spread of #Coronavirus.

“For the most part, the Villa has operated digitally in the last few weeks so there is really nothing new to this,” Garba Shehu stated.

Mr Abba Kyari, the late chief of staff to President Muhammadu Buhari, died of complications from COVID-19 on Friday.

He was buried on Saturday at Gudu Cemetry in Abuja according to Islamic rites. (Channels TV)

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