Nine students from Vaatia College in Màkurdi, Benue State Capital, were allegedly hospitalized after an outbreak of a mysterious illness at the school.

To this end, Dr. Joseph Ngbea, Commissioner for Health and Human Services, has ordered the closure of the school until further notice.

"I was informed that the disease started in the College sometimes in 2017 and stop and now it came back again, that is why we asked the management to close down the school, to enable us to look at the biology of the disease and then be able to advise the school appropriately"

In a telephone interview with our correspondent, the Director of Public Health Dr. Terna Kur also confirmed the outbreak and said the nine affected students were rushed to the Benue State University Teaching Hospital (BSUTH) and are responding to therapy.

He denied that the symptoms of the disease are not linked to that of COVID-19 in any way, saying that the students affected are typically weak in the limbs.

"For what we saw, the Symptoms are far from that of COVID-19 because those Students affected are usually weak in the limbs which are trigger by stress or fever"

One of the nine affected students has recovered completely, saying that no death has been recovered to date, "Among the Nine affected Students one of them has fully recovered, saying so far no death has been recovered."