Minister of Information, Lai Mohammed has warned that the federal government may be forced to use the military for contact tracing as the country faces increasing number of confirmed cases of the deadly coronavirus in the country.
The information minister stated this on Monday at a press briefing in Abuja, urging people who just returned to the country to give themselves up to relevant agencies to help prevent the multiplication of confirmed cases of COVID-19 in the country.
He stated: “We should be ready for tougher measures. The forms they will take will be out from the end of today or tomorrow. But Nigerians should be ready for tougher measures.
“If we don’t do proper contact tracing, the figure will multiply every five days. Nigerians must take ownership of this initiative.
“We won’t hesitate to use whatever measure to ensure that you do not endanger other Nigerians. Containment is very cheaper than cure.
“A few people have helped. If you know you traveled recently, give yourself up to relevant agencies.
“If the situation warrants, we may be forced to use the police and the military for contact tracing.
“The police are already working on that. We don’t want the figure we have now to multiply. We should work towards containment which is cheaper.”
Nigeria has recorded a total of 36 confirmed cases of COVID-19, with only one death and two recoveries in the country.
