Garba Shehu, Senior Special Assistant to President Buhari on New Media has reacted to the public outcry following the crowd that attended Abba Kyari’s burial despite the social distancing rule to curb COVID-19.
Nigerians have called for the prompt prosecution of attendees of Kyari’s burial for disobeying the social distancing rule amid COVID-19 Pandemic.
It would be recalled that Nollywood Actress Funke Akindele was sentenced to 14 days Community service for hosting a house party to celebrate her husband’s birthday amid the Lockdown order.
It is in the same vein concerned citizens are calling for the quarantine and prosecution of the guests at Mallam Kyari’s burial.
However, Garba Shehu said the hands of the government were tied as nothing could have been done to disperse and discourage the crowd from paying their last respect to the deceased.
He further disclosed the crowd was made up of many uninvited guests.
Shehu said: “Was there any invitation for the public to come for the burial? Go back to my Twitter handle and read what I posted. From 10am, when we picked up the body at the airport, we sent a message out that the funeral will be private and that the public should please go and pray for Abba Kyari.
“We also said no condolence visits to the President and family. What can we do? Are we going to invite soldiers to flog people who came to pay their last respect to the man?
“We didn’t invite people. We were trying to move people back and observe social distancing and it was delaying the funeral. We just have to do it because people are not ready to leave. What are we going to do?”
ALSO READ: Abba Kyari: FCTA To Isolate Identified Pallbearers