Police hunt for Nigerian COVID-19 positive escapee in Ghana

A serious manhunt is underway to capture a Nigerian man who tested positive for the novel Coronavirus, the Ghana Police Service said on Thursday.

Simon Okafor Chukudi, 46, reportedly disappeared from his Wapaani residence in the Upper West Regional capital, Wa — after he was diagnosed with the deadly virus.

Upper West Regional Director of the Ghana Health Service, Dr Osei Kuffour Afreh told Accra’s Joy News that the foreigner has since not been found after he was informed of his status.

The Nigerian is one of the region’s imported COVID-19 cases which stands at seven.

“Five out of the new cases were people who came from abroad, including one Nigerian and one person from the Western region”, Dr Afreh was quoted by Joy News as saying.

“But unfortunately for us, one of our confirmed cases cannot be traced. Having given him feedback on his test results, it has been very difficult to reach him,” he further added.

He explained that health professionals had planned to transport Chukudi to the regional isolation centre but have tried to no avail to get in touch with him.

“For almost 48 hours now, it has been difficult to reach him,” he stated.

This brings the number of COVID-19 escapees to three in Ghana.

Late in March, a Guinean COVID-19 patient escaped from quarantine in Tamale, the Northern Region capital.

Efforts to recapture her have since been fruitless as fears grow, she may have spread the deadly virus to other parts of the country.

One of two other patients in Accra is also yet to be found after they reportedly escaped during a contact tracing exercise.