Coronavirus update: Former trader of fake Covid-19 test blame her condition, tok why she do am
Coronavirus don change di way wey we dey take travel and many kontris now need to see proof of negative Covid-19 test before dem allow pesin enter.
Medical pesin dey collect samples for covid-19 test of di PCR type But dis test no dey cheap. Wit how di pandemic don dabaru tins, e go dey even more tough for some pipo to comot that extra money to carry go do di test. Unfortunately, dis challenge don lead jaguda pipo to enter di illegal business of packaging fake results to sell give travellers. BBC tori pesin Joice Etutu follow two women talk – one wey dey sell di fake certificates, and anoda wey use am travel – and wetin make dem do am. ‘Easy money’ UK-based Jessica admit say na social media she bin use take market fake certificates for pipo to buy. She say na “easy money”. "Dem no wan pay £150 ($208) for private test," she tok. So "we charge dem £50 ($69)". "Because e dey so cheap pipo ask many kwesions, like ‘how di tin dey work’, ‘how you take arrange am’, ‘I go enta wahala?’” Jessica reason am say she no get choice but to enta di magomago business because she be single parent. "No one dey help me, no one dey give me money." If I need to take small risk in oda to make like £300 ($416) to feed my pikin, trust me I go do am." She say na when she sef wan travel but no get money for di test certificate she do fake one, and then after she enter di business hersef. In total she don do eight of dis kain result, but she say she don stop, because as pesin wey dey work for healthcare sector, her conscience no carry am say she dey put pipo live at risk. Pesin dey collect covid-19 test result of di PCR type 'I go do am again' Anoda woman, Louise, wey bin use fake negative Covid-19 certificate travel go Ghana for October say na di high cost make her do di fraud. "I just ask... 'who sabi use photoshop?' I ask my friends make I see dia Covid tests so I go know wetin di certificate look like and I tell pesin make e arrange am for me. Way just no dey to comot di money... and I know some pipo go dey reason am say 'so why I come dey travel?'” Like Jessica, Louise too sabi say na illegal tin she dey do but she admit say she go do am again. Until method dey ground to use computer check whether true true pesin do di test, she tok say she no reason why im go stress to do di right tin. Just on Monday, one federal committee wey dey manage Covid-19 mata for Nigeria announce say dem close down one fake test lab for capital city Abuja, wia dem dey package sell fake Covid-19 result. Dis illegal business dey put pipo life at risk because any passenger wey get Covid-19 - but no dey show symptoms - fit spread di virus to oda pipo. Goments across di world need to do more to torchlight dis problem. As one report by Foundation for Investigative Journalism (FIJ) reveal for Lagos, Nigeria, even goment workers for immigration, medical, port, fit dey work togeda to do dis bad business. How much be test? Di ogbonge FIJ investigation wey comot on 9 February, expose say dem use money buy fake documents and bribe officials so as to travel go obodo oyinbo. Like Louise, na money fit dey make travellers chook hand inside something wey fit put dem for big trouble? So how much di test be? According to Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC), na private labs dey do di test for di kontri and e cost anywhere between N36,000 ($95) to N50,400 ($132). For Ghana, pesin fit do di test for dia airports at di cost of $150. Jessica and Louise no be dia real names.