Gov Wike Orders Deportation Of Almajiris To Home States

After it was revealed that two Almajiris deported from Kano to Kaduna tested positive for Coronavirus, Governor Nyesom Wike of Rivers State has directed the State Commissioner for Social Welfare to round up and deport all vagrants, including Almajiris to their states of origin.

Wike, who gave the directive on Monday during a state broadcast, said the measure was to protect people of the state from the threat of transmission of the Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic.

A statement issued by his Special Assistant on Electronic Media, Simeon Nwakaudu, said Wike berated security agencies for allowing travellers to enter and leave the state at will despite the closure of the state’s borders.

He said: “These unscrupulous security officers are deliberately putting our State and the lives of our people at risk as our health system can hardly cope, should there be a surge in COVID-19 cases.

“To contain this threat therefore, we will be inaugurating the State’s Taskforce on Border Closure on Tuesday, April 28, 2020 to effectively monitor our boundaries and ensure that no unauthorized person and or vehicle leaves or enters our state under any guise in breach of the lockdown order.”

He said: “We have also directed the Commissioner of Social Welfare to round-up and deport all vagrants, including the almajiris, to their States of origin to protect our people from the threat they present to the transmission of this pandemic.

“We have also widened our case finding and containment strategy by moving from targeted testing to active sentinel search for cases with acute symptoms across various public and private facilities and subject them to immediate testing, isolation and treatment.

“With these measures, and ceaseless supplications to God, we are confident to win the battle against COVID-19 in our State.”