At least 26 Nigerian Army generals and the governor of Lagos state, Mr Babajide Sanwo-Olu, have tested positive for the novel coronavirus as the nation recorded another spike of 418 positive cases on Sunday.

The Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) said on Sunday that three additional coronavirus-related deaths were recorded and that the new infections brought the total number of confirmed cases to 73,175.

The infected military officers were said to have had contact with the late Maj-Gen Olu Irefin, who died from Covid-19-related complications last week.

The affected senior army officers were attendees of the 2020 Chief of Army Staff Annual Conference at the Nigerian Army Resource Centre in Abuja.

Gen Irefin visited some of his colleagues at home before he attended the conference.

To curtail further spread of the virus, the NCDC directed all the officers who attended the conference and their family members who have been in contact with them to self-isolate for a week.

The army officers were mostly those who came from outside Abuja and have been tested by officials of the NCDC.

The venue of the aborted conference, the Nigerian Army Resource Centre in Asokoro, was decontaminated by health officials at the weekend.

Irefin, who was the General Officer Commanding (GOC) 6 Division of the Army in Port Harcourt, Rivers State, took ill at the 2020 Chief of Army Staff Conference last week and was taken to the hospital. He was tested and found positive for Covid-19. He died while receiving treatment.

Meanwhile, Mr Boss Mustapha, the Secretary to the Government of Nigeria, who is also the Chairman of the Presidential Task Force on Covid-19 Control, and his wife, Olu, have gone into isolation after members of his household tested positive for Covid-19.