Photo: This Day

Dame Patience Jonathan

For the second time in six months, the First Lady, Mrs. Patience Jonathan, Monday left the country for Germany.

Though there was no official statement from the presidency on her departure, a source confirmed that the trip was for medical reasons.

According to the source, "The first lady left the country today (Monday) for Germany where she is expected to undergo a medical check-up."

"We don't know when she is coming back. All we know is that she has left the country," he added.

The presidency source recalled that since she returned from her trip to Germany last year, ostensibly for medical reasons, the first lady had not left the country.

"This trip is just for a medical check-up, nothing more. Any report that she was hurriedly flown abroad is far from the truth," the source said.

This is contrary to reports Monday that Mrs. Jonathan was hurriedly flown out of the country again.

He added: "She left for the airport with her convoy and boarded the plane unaided. She was not hurriedly flown abroad like an invalid. She simply left for a routine check-up."

The First Lady's last public outing was on Sunday where she accompanied her husband, President Goodluck Jonathan, to the interdenominational service held to mark the 2013 Armed Forces Remembrance Day at the National Ecumenical Centre, Abuja.

She was her usual self through out the duration of the programme.

Last July, the first lady was flown to Germany after she was said to have been seriously ill.

She returned to the country in October to a rousing welcome by family and aides, although at the time, she denied that she had undergone a surgical procedure or cosmetic surgery.

However, her husband had confirmed during a media chat in November that she was ill but that she had recovered.