River State governor, Nyesom Wike, on Friday said a pastor had tested positive for Coronavirus after praying for a deceased COVID-19 patient in the state.

Those, who also tested positive for the virus include two children of the deceased.

Wike stated this while giving an update on efforts by the state government to contain the pandemic.

He blamed security operatives deployed to enforce border closure of sabotaging the efforts, accusing them of receiving gratification to allow people into the state.

He said, "The logical conclusion therefore is that the pattern of transmission of COVID-19 in the state is evidentially predicated on outside importation just as the rate of infection and progression is also relatively low and arithmetical when considered from the date of the index case.

“Generally, we believe that unless there is a sudden and vertical slide into community transmission, we expect our COVID-19 infection and prevalent rate to continue along this low trajectory, which gives us the assurance that our hard work is paying off and Rivers State is certainly not in any dangerous position when compared to most states, and we will never be by God’s special grace.

“This is not to say that we are at the peak of this crisis and that everything about the containment and transmission of COVID-19 was under control.

“For instance, the 7th infected case was an offshore oil and gas worker who went and passed a night in a Lagos hotel before returning to Port Harcourt on the 9th of April 2020 with the aid of the security personnel manning our borders.

“When his symptoms started, he was admitted to a private hospital, (St. Martin’s Hospital) on the 20th and discharged on the 21st of April 2020.

“Had the security agencies not compromised their responsibility at the borders, this man would have been prevented from coming into Port Harcourt with this virus.”