Covid-19: FCT to step up enforcement on lockdown

The Federal Capital Territory Administration said it has no choice than to strictly enforced the coronavirus federal government lockdown laws. FCT Minister Muhammad Musa Bello who is also the FCT COVID-19 Security Committee Chairman has approved Mobile courts to try all violators of the directive on the cessation of movement across the FCT.

“While the level of compliance has been satisfactory at the Federal Capital City (FCC) over the first few days of the lockdown,  the same cannot be said about the satellite towns located at the various area councils where  residents  there have largely ignored the lockdown directive; However, over the past few days, adherence to the lockdown directives at the City Center has also deteriorated; Residents have used the excuse of going to the markets to flout the lockdown directives and traders selling non-essential food commodities have also used this window to open their shops in clear violation of the directives not to do so, despite the directives that residents should patronize neighborhood shops and markets within their districts and not move from one district to the other to buy their essential items in order to minimize movement of people and vehicles across the city, this has largely been flouted as well”  

Residents are encouraged to patronise only  neighborhood markets as movement from one district to the other now constitutes a violation of the lockdown.

The Minister also said Motorcycles  (Okada) are henceforth barred from operating anywhere in Kubwa and Dutse Alhaji during the lockdown.

Bello reiterated that FCTA will step up sensitization efforts especially in the rural communities and enjoins Area Council, Chairmen, traditional rulers and community leaders to actively engage in sensitizing the populace on the dangers of COVID -19.