Benue State governor, Samuel Ortom, says his latest test for COVID-19, the disease caused by the coronavirus, has returned a positive result.

The governor had been isolated days ago after his personal physician, aide de camp, and an orderly tested positive for the virus.

The 59-year-old said on Wednesday, January 27, 2021 he has already commenced treatment even though he has shown no symptoms.

The governor further asked those who have been in contact with him in the past few days to get tested.

"I encourage the people not to be afraid of going for COVID-19 test as only doing so would help in containing the spread of the disease," he said.

He cautioned that Nigerians should continue to observe safety protocols to limit the spread of the disease.

Ortom is the 12th Nigerian governor to test positive for the highly infectious disease that has infected over 100 million people globally, killing over 2.1 million.

Bauchi's Governor Bala Mohammed, Kaduna's Governor Nasir El-Rufai, Oyo's Governor Seyi Makinde, Abia's Governor Okezie Ikpeazu, Ondo's Governor Rotimi Akeredolu, Delta's Governor Ifeanyi Okowa, Ebonyi's Governor Dave Umahi, Ekiti's Governor Kayode Fayemi, Lagos' Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu, Niger's Governor Abubakar Sani Bello, and Plateau's Governor Simon Lalong have all tested positive in the past and recovered.

Since Nigeria's first COVID-19 case was detected last February, over 124,000 cases have been recorded across the country, with over 1,500 killed.

The country currently has over 23,000 active cases with almost 100,000 recovering from infection.