Abba Kyari: Buhari govt explains why people disobeyed social distancing order during Chief of Staff’s burial

The Presidency has opened up on the crowd that attended the burial rites of former Chief of Staff to President Muhammadu Buhari, Mallam Abba Kyari at the Gudu Cemetery, Abuja.

Speaking to reporters, Garba Shehu, the President’s aide on Media and Publicity, said there was nothing they could do to bar the crowd.

Shehu said they did not invite the crowd at the funeral and could not have invited soldiers to flog and chase them away.

He explained further that the burial was delayed in their attempt to maintain social distancing but had to proceed as more people kept trooping to the cemetery

“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?” he asked.