The
Senate has passed a motion on “Need to Enforce Presidential Order Banning
Non-Essential Interstate Movement”, sponsored by former Deputy President of the
Senate, Senator Ike Ekweremadu, at plenary on Tuesday.
Moving
the motion, the Senator representing Enugu West, said the Senate was alarmed at
the spike in the number of COVID-19 cases in the country, which he said
currently stood at 4,641 cases and 150 deaths, as well as the daily confirmed
cases, which he noted, was now hundreds.
He
said: “The Senate is aware that the President, in his wisdom and relying on
advisories by relevant authorities and powers conferred on him by Section 3 of
the Quarantine Act, CAP Q2 Laws of the Federation 2004 issued the Proclamation
Order on the General Management of COVID-19, banning non-essential inter-state
passenger travels until further notice in order to contain the deadly novel
Coronavirus.
“The
Senate is also aware of the presidential order declaring dusk to dawn curfew
all over the country.
“The
Senate is, therefore, seriously worried by the numerous reports and trending
videos on the flagrant breach of the curfew and interstate travel”.
Senator
Ekweremadu recalled that the Presidential Task Force on COVID-19 had raised the
alarm over what it described as “Increased level of interstate movement,
worsened by the dubious concealment of people in food-carrying vehicles”, while
the Nigeria Governors’ Forum had equally raised serious concerns over how
Nigerians crisscross the country in their numbers despite the subsisting order
to the contrary.
“The
Senate is conscious of the very grave implications of the brazen breach of the
presidential order restricting interstate movements and of the fact that the
nation’s security agencies, particularly the police, have the responsibility to
enforce law and order, including the presidential ban on interstate movement.
“The
Senate, is, however, very worried about reports of alleged complicity in the
said breaches by those who are supposed to enforce compliance with the directives
of the President and Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces”.
Consequently,
the Senate unanimously enjoins Nigerians to strictly comply with the orders for
their own safety and to quicken the nation’s victory over the COVID-19
pandemic.
It
equally directed the Inspector-General of Police, Commandant-General of the
Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps and heads of all security agencies
charged with enforcing the ban on interstate travel “to investigate the alleged
complicity of their officers in the breach of the curfew and ban non-essential
interstate travels and bring to book anyone found wanting”.
The
Senate called on the two security chiefs to ensure that their various commands
cooperate with respective State authorities in enforcing the presidential
orders and other protocols aimed at rolling back the COVID-19 pandemic.
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