Hyacinth Chinweuba
The Sokoto Police Command has frowned against using trucks moving agricultural goods to ferry passengers.
The warning came after the state task force of free movement of agricultural produce toured the border areas.
The Chairman of the committe and Commissioner of Police in the state, CP Ibrahim Sani Kaoje handed down the warning when he led members of the committee to monitor movement of food items at Bimasa area where the state share boundary with Zamfara state on Thursday.
Kaoje reiterated that only essential commodities, especially food items and agricultural inputs were exempted from the restriction imposed on free movement across the country.
The exception he said was to ensure availability of food items in all the nooks and crannies of the country, particularly in this pandemic period.
Kaoje added that, this freedom was not extended to passengers, thus, any trucks caught conveying passengers would be impounded and the driver arrested and prosecuted accordingly.
The committee, he explained was formed based on the directive of the Inspector General of Police.
“After inaugurating a mother Joint Technical task team on emergency response to covid-19 on challenges on movement of food and agricultural inputs in the country in Abuja recently, the IGP directed for the formation of sister committees at the state levels.
“Our work is to ensure free movement of food items and agricultural inputs. This is to ensure nobody die of hunger as a result of the measures taken to curtail the spread of Coviid-19 in the country”.
Other members of the committee were representatives of NARTO, NUJ, NURTW, state and federal Ministries of Agriculture as well as the chairman, Sokoto State Taskforce on Covid-19 and Commissioner of Health.
In his remarks, the state Commissioner of Agriculture, Alhaji Arzika Tureta, described the committee as apt, especially that the raining season was fast approaching.
“It will facilitate free movement of farm produce and the inputs required by farmers for the planting season,” he said
Also speaking, the Commissioner of Health, Dr Ali Inname, said the state government has donated 20 motorcycles to security agencies to be able to block all the illegal routes used by travellers.