Hyacinth Chinweuba
Niger State Government committee Taskforce on Covid-19 has intercepted no fewer than 59 person en-route to Kano from Lagos and vice versa.
Mary Noel-Berje, Chief Press Secretary to the Governor of Niger state, in a statement said the Commissioner for Health, Dr. Muhammad Makusidi made the disclosure in Minna.
Dr. Makusidi said that 40 of the intercepted persons were from Kano going to Lagos while 19 others were coming from Lagos and going to Kano.
“Despite the interstate lockdown, people are still moving under any small opportunity they got. I can’t imagine people travelling under the cover of trampol and sack of rice”, he said.
The Commissioner said that it was a sad and pathetic situation that, despite the lockdown of the country, people were able to beat checkpoints across the country.
He called on the Federal Government to implement the interstate lockdown to the latter, as the virus can be curtailed at local points since its lifespan was 14-days.
“For us, we are not going to leave any stone unturned, they are going back to where they came from”, he stated.
He added that the intercepted persons have been subjected to temperature test as the state does not have testing kits that will confirm the COVID-19 status of a suspected case.
The intercepted persons have since been convicted by the Mobile Court and charged between three months to one year imprisonment with an option of N3, 000 to N10, 000 fine respectively.
Dr. Makusidi revealed that two persons have been arrested in Beji, and would soon be charged to court for bringing people into the state and harbouring them for monetary gains, thereby endangering the lives of many other citizens.
He commended the action of a Good Samaritan, who upon the return of his son from Kano, reported his arrival to the authority and the returnee presented himself to be quarantined for 14-days and awaiting to be tested.
Niger State is the gateway between Northern Nigeria and Southwest; therefore the state government is appealing to the Federal Government to ensure strictness on the total lockdown of the country so that the pandemic comes to an end.