COVID-19 curfew: ‘ I won’t allow you flout presidential order”, Ugwuanyi tells deviant residents

Enugu State governor, Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi has reiterated his believe in the recently imposed nationwide curfew as part of measures to contain the spread of the Coronavirus, insisting that he would not sit and watch any residence flout the presidential order.

Ugwuanyi stated that there was no better way to contain the spread of the virus than for people to abide laid out rules for their containment in the state.

And in a move to ensure that residents complied with the curfew order, the governor Friday night personally led an enforcement team to various parts of the state.

Accompanied by his Deputy, Mrs Cecilia Ezilo, the governor intercepted and impounded over 50 vehicles belonging to deviant residents seen driving during the period of the curfew.

The enforcement team which left Enugu government house at about 8.10pm drove through major roads, Bisalla road, old Enugu-Abakaliki road, Trans-Ekulu, Abakpa, Emene and Independence layout among others.
As the governor personally interrogated and ordered the flatenning of vehicle tyres of curfew defaulters, he kept reminding them that “this curfew is in the interest of everybody and I won’t allow you flout it.
“I will not ask Police to arrest you or hand over your vehicle to them. I will only ask you to park and we will deflate your tyres, them you walk home. Tomorrow morning, you can look for a way of retrieving your vehicle. That’s all. But next time, I may not be this lenient”. He insisted that the curfew begins at 8pm and ends at 6am daily.

Several private cars and buses irrespective of the occupants excerpt those on emergencies were impounded in the over two hours enforcement compliance exercise in the state.

He however expressed delight that more residents had abided the curfew order than was seen in the state last Tuesday night.

On Tuesday night, the governor had intercepted a trailer load of cattle with 15 men hidden on the floor of the vehicle when he led an enforcement team to monitor compliance with the curfew in the state.

The trailer, said to be coming from Bauchi state had beaten all security check points on the highways and made its way into the state capital around 9.30pm with men bearing different sizes of bags.

They were however, intercepted by the governor who had defied the heavy rains that night in the state as he led a team to enforcement. During a proper search on the trailer which was intercepted along Emene road, Enugu by the team, the 15 men were found.

Shocked by the development, the governor who had ordered they be brought down expressed worries as to how such a number of people found their way into the State under the pretence of transporting cattle. He had however handed them over to the police for further interrogation.

It was this discovery that had kept Ugwuanyi to his toes almost every other night as he traverse the boundaries to ginger the security operatives to live to their responsibilities.
Several residents had been caught in the curfew enforcement compliance and handed over to the police.