BY EMEKA NWADIOKE

The Chief Justice of Nigeria, Justice Tanko Muhammad has returned to Nigeria after a brief trip to Dubai, United Arab Emirates.

An unimpeachable source told CITY LAWYER that Justice Muhammad flew back to the country yesterday.

“There are strong indications that the CJN is currently at his duty post in the office as we speak,” the source told CITY LAWYER.

A member of the Supreme Court, Justice Ibrahim Saulawa had reportedly told the audience at the unveiling of the national headquarters of the Muslim Lawyers’ Association of Nigeria (MULAN) in Abuja that Justice Muhammad had tested positive for coronavirus and had been flown to Dubai, the United Arab Emirates for treatment.

Justice Muhammad was absent at the new legal year ceremony of the Supreme Court where he was scheduled to preside over the inauguration of 72 new Senior Advocates of Nigeria, leading to anxiety over his health status. The event was presided over by the next most senior Justice of the Supreme Court, Justice Olabode Rhodes-Vivour.

Justice Saulawa’s comment was supposed to have doused the anxiety but the Supreme Court’s Director of Information, Dr. Festus Akande described the COVID-19 report as a rumour, adding: “In furtherance to the press statement earlier issued, I wish to state categorically clear that there is no medical report so far made available by anybody indicating that the Hon. CJN has tested positive for Coronavirus.

“Those peddling the rumour should go a step further to confirm from their sources and equally obtain the copy of whatever laboratory test result they are relying on.

“As of this moment of issuing this statement, no one has so far shown me or any other person in Supreme Court a copy of the test result they are referring to in the report.”

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