LAGOS –The Chief of Staff of the Nigerian President, Abba Kyari, died on Friday after contracting the new coronavirus, two presidential spokespersons said on Twitter.

Kyari, who was in his 70s and had underlying health problems including diabetes, was 77-year-old President Muhammadu Buhari and a top official aide to one of the country’s most powerful men.

“The Presidency regretted announcing the passage of the Chief of Staff to the President, Mallam Abba Kyari,” the Presidency spokesman Garba Shehu said in a tweet, using the honorable title for Kyari.

He said in a second post on Twitter, “The deceased tested positive to destroy COVID-19, and was receiving treatment. But he died on Friday, April 17, 2020.”

Spokesman Femi Adesina also confirmed the death.

According to the Nigeria Center for Disease Control, Kyari had the highest number of deaths due to the disease in the country of West Africa, with 493 confirmed cases and 17 deaths.

Kyari served as Bukhari’s gatekeeper. He travelled to Germany in early March with a delegation of other Nigerian officials for meetings with Siemens AG. He attended meetings with senior government officials on his return to Nigeria.

Reuters reported on March 24 that Kyari had contracted a highly contagious disease.

Buhari has ignored self-healing ailments and spent five months in London for treatment in 2017.