As the total lockdown imposed on Kabba-Bunu local government area by Kogi state government entered the second day, the Obaro of Kabba, Oba Solomon Owoniyi, Thursday appealed to the state government to relax it.
The Obaro said within 24 hours, farmers in the area lost their farm produce to the activities of herdsmen.
Making the appeal at his residence in Kabba Thursday, he lamented that farms which are the main source of livelihood of his people were being destroyed by herdsmen.
He said:”We are appealing to Governor Yahaya Bello to reconsider the lockdown. All the protocol can be observed without total lockdown because within 24 hours of the lockdown, the effect is already telling on my people who lived and dwelled on daily income.
“We cannot survive the 14 days lockdown as 48 hours will be very devastating to us. The exercise should be given human face in the interest of our innocent citizens who continually attested to the fact that there is no coronavirus in the local government.
While cautioning indigenes of Kogi western senatorial district to be mindful of their utterances, the monarch warned against politicising issues that has negative effect on the people.
“It is high time people should desist from politicising issues in the state. Governorship election has been conducted and won , this is the time to join hands with the winner to move Kogi state forward in the interest of development.
“The current administration in the state have no enemy in Kogi west and nobody has the mandate of the people to utter statement that are not in line with the peaceful coexistence of the entire district and we don’t want Kabba town to be used as a battle ground to settle scores or political differences,” the royal father said.
He also appealed to the state government to assist the people of Kabba with palliatives to cushion the effect of the lockdown.
The Commissioner for Information and Communication, Mr. Kingsley Fanwo, who led health workers and journalists to the palace of the monarch, said the state government declared the total lockdown to enable it conduct contact tracing of the alleged COVID-19 outbreak in the local government.
He added that the decision to lockdown Kabba and its environ was not aimed at inflicting hardship on the people, but to clear the insinuations made by some indigenes that there is coronavirus in the town.
