COVID-19: Enugu Gov’t Calls For Vigilance At Borders

The Enugu State government has urged people living at boundary areas to alert the state Covid-19 taskforce and security agencies if they suspect anybody or group trying to cross state boundaries from
neighbouring states.

Governor Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi, represented by his deputy, Mrs Cecelia Ezeilo, stated this while touring the Enugu-Benue and Enugu-Kogi boundaries as part of the state government’s monitoring of compliance with the directive on total lockdown of land boundaries and inter-state transportation ban, except movement related to essential
duties.

Aside Benue and Kogi borders, the deputy governor also inspected the Enugu-Anambra and Enugu-Ebonyi boundaries. She was accompanied during the visit by the speaker of the Enugu State House of Assembly, Rt Hon Edward Ubosi; the leader of the state House of Assembly, Rt Hon
Ikechukwu Ezeugwu, and the state commissioner for special duties, Mrs
Mabel Agbo.

Mrs Ezilo told security operatives at boundary checkpoints that, “The
essence is to forestall those already affected by the disease from further spreading it to save lives. I assure you of the readiness of the state government to deploy all relevant resources towards the
containment of the disease.

“I thank all the security agencies for the
job you are doing. On our way, however, we saw okada riders carrying people. It calls for more vigilance because those that transmit the virus are passengers and not vehicles. Okada riders could pick
passengers dropped by vehicles on borders. If they are not arrested, the same danger persists.”

Some of the security operatives interviewed revealed that some people follow bush paths to evade arrest, but stated that members of the Enugu State Forest Guards had been deployed at strategic areas to arrest such people.

They said culprits were always handed over to the police for further investigations.

Some of the boundary areas visited were Inyi-Ufuma-Akpugoeze-Amansi and Ugwuorba-Amansi axis in Oji River LGA linking Enugu State with
Anambra State, as well as Amaechi-Idodo-Nkalagu in Nkanu East LGA
linking Ebonyi State.

In a similar vein, various heads of security agencies in Enugu State met with Gov Samuel Ortom of Benue State at the Enugu-Benue land boundary where they discussed measures already adopted in the
implementation of boundary closures, and further agreed to strengthen security at both states’ boundaries to enhance the full actualization of the restriction order aimed at containing the spread of the virus.