The Presidential Task Force on Control of COVID-19 said Monday that it is considering jail term options for violators of protocols and guidelines to serve as a deterrent to others.
Speaking at a briefing in Abuja, chairman of the Presidential Task Force and Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), Mr Boss Mustapha, said the government was worried about a high number of cases and fake tests across the country.
He said the Presidential Task Force also welcomed the decision by media organisations and the Anap Foundation COVID-19 Think Tank to name and shame violators of the COVID-19 Health Protection Regulations (2021).
He said about 100 passports were to be suspended for the next six months or a longer time, stressing that violators of protocols and guidelines would be made to face mobile court and even sent to jail.
“We have to get tough on these things because it is a matter of public health and the dangers involved. For this,, let me thank Mr. Atedo Peterside and Anap Foundation, who have launched along with the media the COVID-19 hall of shame initiative, where they intend to name and shame people who are in outright bridge of the COVID-19 protocols. We call on many Nigerians and the media to join us in this fight so that we have a paradigm shift, an attitudinal change among our people to do the right thing,” he said.
Speaking on the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) banning Gulf carrier Emirates with a 72-hour flight suspension, the SGF said those presenting fake results were making airlines doubt the testing process being carried out in the country.
“Right now we are fighting with airlines because they have imposed an additional layer of testing that is going to cost Nigerians additional N25, 000 in Abuja and over N30,000 in Lagos. We are contesting it and the simple reasons the airlines doing this is because of our attitude.
“They are beginning to doubt the authenticity of our test results because some few Nigerians have decided to be very, very deceptive and criminal. Though we don’t have the monopoly of forging, even there they forged documents but why should we do it to ourselves to the extent that right now airlines are now determining for us by introducing a new layer of test.
“By the time you add up the cost of the additional money we are going to expend on travelling and coming back, it’s over N150, 000. Why should that happen? But you see? We are the ones creating that situation.
“So, I will appeal to the media in particular, to be very strong in voicing your resentment of anybody that indulges in those kinds of attitude of bridging protocols, rules and regulations, indulging in the facilitation of COVID-19 fake results,” he said.
Kano
And reports from Kano state say about 200 people were arrested, fined or incarcerated for violation as the joint team of security agencies and COVID-19 marshals continued to sensitise and enforce safety protocols across the state.
The state commissioner for information, Malam Muhammad Garba announced this Monday in a statement made available to Blueprint in Abuja.
He said of the total figure of the violators, 102 were fined N5, 000 each, with 25 others remanded in prison by the 21 mobile courts set up to deal with non-compliance to safety protocols identified as a huge challenge to curbing the spread of the virus.
He said the enforcement measure became necessary to preserve public safety and ensure full compliance with the Coronavirus prevention protocols, particularly the use of a face mask.
Garba said the enforcement, led by the state Road Traffic Agency (KAROTA), comprised of the Police, Nigeria Security and Civil Defense Corps, Department of State Security Service and the COVID-19 marshals, is being executed in strategic locations where violators were arrested.
The commissioner pointed out that the decision was in response to the coming of the new variant that calls for caution and adherence to safety measures in the state.
He noted that despite the new wave of COVID-19 which is tougher than the first wave of the pandemic, residents were refusing to observe the infection, prevention and control (IPC) protocols.
The commissioner warned that any resident that refused to observe safety protocols would be arraigned before the mobile court.
While calling for the cooperation of the public, Garba assured that the government would continue to improve enlightenment and persuasion to halt the rising cases of death and infections in the state.
FCTA
In a related development, no fewer than 43 violators of COVID-19 guidelines were arraigned Monday at a mobile court in Abuja.
The violators, who were earlier arrested from different parts of the FCT by the Taskforce on Enforcement of COVID-19 Guidelines, were dragged before a mobile court sitting at the Eagle Square, Abuja.
Presiding Magistrate Idayat Akani summarily charged all the accused for gross violation of the “Corona virus Disease (COVID-19) Health Protection Regulation, 2021”, which was signed 26 January, 2021 by President Muhammadu Buhari.
Educating the violators about the regulation and proper use of facemasks, Akani advised them not to leave their nose out of the facemasks, hang it round their chin or put it inside their pockets.
She said the idea was not just for them to pocket their masks and rush to bring them out upon sighting the taskforce personnel, but to always and properly wear it so as to curtail further spread of the disease.
Speaking to journalists during the court sitting, Head of the task force’s public enlightenment arm, Comrade Ikharo Attah, warned the people to always comply with the guidelines.
Ikharo, while appreciating the support from the six area councils, particularly from the Divisional Police Officers (DPOs), revealed that some of the violators were arrested and sent in for prosecution by the DPOs from the area councils..
Reassuring of the commitment of the FCT Minister, Malam Muhammad Musa Bello to preventing spread of the deadly pandemic in Abuja, Ikharo also stated that the FCT Commissioner of Police, CP Bala Ciroma, who chairs the Committee on Enforcement of COVID-19 Regulation was always willing to deploy his men to enforce the presidential regulation on COVID-19.
Ikharo further said while three of the violators were released because they were minors, two of them were granted bail, even as some who had money immediately paid different categories of fines, ranging from N2000 to about N3000, even as others were made to carry out community services by sweeping Abuja streets depending on their degree of violation.
