Establish Community Taskforces To Enforce COVID-19 Orders, Activist Advocates

Following increasing cases of commuters flouting Enugu State’s directives on border closure, the public relations officer of Adada State Movement, James Ugwu, weekend, called for the establishment of taskforces at community levels to assist law enforcement agencies in apprehending the culprits.

He also called for rewards for people who provide useful information about those that flout border rules.

Ugwu, while reacting to cases of vehicles laden with passengers being turned back at some Enugu State boundaries with Kogi and Benue states, said it was unimaginable that efforts of Gov. Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi in curtailing the spread of the virus were being thwarted by unscrupulous elements.

He told THE WHISTLER in Enugu that, “The governor doesn’t sleep; he goes to boundaries to ensure compliance. Unfortunately, some people don’t know that they are committing suicide and murder by disobeying the rules. When government restricts movement on borders, how on earth would anybody compromise such? The governor has provided all the logistics needed for this exercise, yet people still collect bribes from commuters to enter Enugu. If anybody dies in the process, whoever collected such bribe is the cause. It is clear that people still come into the state under these restrictions.”

Ugwu, a former council chairman, also advocated re-orientation of security personnel on their assignments in the face of the pandemic.

He said, “Security agencies should be re-educated on the sensitive nature of their duties at borders. Traditional rulers and town union presidents should set up committees in their areas. They should use their vigilantes. Every community in Igbo land has what they use to protect themselves. They should use the same to fish out people that sneak in under any guise. Too much dependent on the uniformed men will not give us required results. Above all, we should individually preserve ourselves because even the Bible agrees that self-preservation is the first order in heaven. Religious leaders should obey government orders because authorities come from God. It is wrong to open churches at this critical moment. Rather they should take the campaign to stop the spread to the grassroots. Council chairmen should also redouble their efforts.”