COVID-19: FCT Convicts 20 Lockdown Violators, Targets Errant Joggers
BY VICTOR OSOWOCHI, ABUJA – In keeping with its threat to strictly enforce the presidential lockdown directives, the Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA) has convicted about 20 persons that violated current sit-at-home order meant to check the COVID-19 spread in the nation’s capital.
The convicts were fined between N5,000 and N10,000, while those with vehicles had them impounded. According to officials, the seized vehicles will only be returned to their owners after the lockdown with the probability of demurrage payment.
This is even as the administration has also expressed its resolve to clampdown on residents engaging in early morning fitness exercises and road walk in defiance of the lockdown.
Giving an update on residents’ compliance with emergency measures by both the Federal Government and FCTA to control the coronavirus, Chairman of the Enforcement Team, Comrade Ikharo Attah, also disclosed that a fake policeman was arrested in the Mpape area of the territory.
Attah said for effective justice dispensation and trial of offenders, the FCTA will soon inaugurate more mobile courts, adding; “We have at least five mobile courts and we are hoping to open more with the assistance of the legal unit of the Directorate of Road Traffic Services (DRTS).
“As of 1pm, we already secured 20 convictions, while two pleaded not guilty. We also arrested a man who is not a policeman but was wearing a police face cap and he has been detained at the Police station in Mpape.”
According to him, “We were on the Kubwa-Mpape road as early as 4am but we are going to tighten our grip on these areas because when we locked down Mpape to traffic, we discovered that residents were sneaking out massively on foot to access Maitama.”
He said to strengthen enforcement of the stay-at-home order, the team will now be going after joggers and arresting them as from Friday, April 17, 2020 for rules violation.
“We now have thousands of people coming out in some areas to jog, very early in the morning. We are going to arrest them for violating the presidential directives”, Attah warned
