Governor Nyesom Wike has ordered the prosecution of 14 persons who moved cattle from Adamawa State into Port Harcourt in breach of Rivers State borders closure and lockdown of Port Harcourt and Obio Akpor Local Government Areas in the fight against Coronavirus.

Wike also ordered auction of the cattle and the two trucks in which they were being conveyed after intercepting them at Rumuigbo, Obio Akpor LGA in the wee hours of Friday. ABN TV reports.

One of those arrested, Ahmed Aliyu, who said they were engaged from Adamawa to bring in the cattle to the new slaughter in Oyigbo further claimed they paid N1500 to security agents to breach the state’s closed borders.

Wike monitors lockdown, commends Rivers people for compliance Wike said: “This fight has nothing to do with individuals. The law must take its course. Port Harcourt and Obio/Akpor are under lockdown and the law must be obeyed. The trailers and the cows will be auctioned tomorrow.

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“You heard them saying they gave money to security agencies before they were allowed to cross the border. The owner of the cattle on the phone admitted they have fallen short of the law”

He further directed the State Ministry of Health to conduct tests on the 14 persons to ascertain their Coronavirus status

The Governor said he got wind of their movement on intelligence gathered from “well-meaning Nigerians”, but did not confirm if the informant would get the N100,000 reward he earlier promised for whistleblowers over breach of the state Covid-19 restrictions.

Meanwhile, A Mobile Court sitting at the Covid-19 Elekahia Isolation Centre in Port Harcourt has convicted 170 defaulters of the lockdown imposed by Rivers State Government on Port Harcourt City and Obio/Akpor Local Government Areas (LGAs) to contain Coronavirus.

The offenders were Thursday dragged to the court by Office of the Attorney General of Rivers for alleged breach of Executive Order RVSG 06 2020 which imposes the lockdown, prohibiting human and vehicular movement in the Port Harcourt metropolis.

CLEEN Foundation, a non-governmental organisation, NGO says security agents are hindering the successful implementation of the ban on inter-state movement.

At the sixth teleconference meeting of the Nigeria Governors’ Forum (NGF), the governors had agreed to ban movement between states for two weeks as part of efforts to contain the spread of COVID-19.

But in its report released on Friday, the organisation expressed concern over the ineffective implementation of the ban.

It said despite the ban, inter-state movement, which the presidential task force (PTF) on COVID-19 has described as one of the major causes of community transmission and the increasing number of cases, continues to thrive.

The non-profit organisation said it observed cases of exploitation by security agents, thereby granting travellers access to other states.

It said such hindering to the implementation of inter-state movement was observed in Kogi, Delta, Bayelsa, Abuja, among others.

“As already noted, our observers reported the movement of travellers along the Abuja-Lokoja Highway. In Bayelsa state, it was observed that there was complicity on the part of the security personnel manning border posts and tollgates into the state,” the report read.

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“There were reported incidences of extortion by security personnel to enable transporters and commuters to enter the state thereby hindering the implementation of the ban. The situation is not different in Delta state where there are regular entry and exits into the state through the Asaba-Onitsha and Patani-Bayelsa axis due to the compromising nature of security personnel.

“In the South Eastern region, particularly borders between Imo and Abia states (Owerrinta/Okpala), it was observed that the borders between the two states made it possible for citizens to move freely with no hindrance. Transporters in Imo state have devised various means of moving commuters in and out of the state.

“It was further observed that the Abia state COVID-19 Task Force intercepted a lorry carrying youths from the northern parts of the country into the state against government regulation.

“In South Western states, there have been reported cases of an influx of youths allegedly from Zamfara state into Osun and Oyo states. The Governor of Oyo recently stated that the challenges with noncompliance with restrictions on interstate movement were majorly between Lagos-Ibadan and Ibadan-Ife highways.

“In Yobe state, North-East Nigeria, traders were reported to have travelled to Kano for business despite knowing the high level of COVID-19 pandemic in the state. Kaduna state was observed to have strictly restricted inter-state movements.”

On compliance with the stay-at-home directive, social distancing guidelines, and ban on religious gatherings, the organisation said it discovered a lack of compliance by citizens to guidelines and precautionary measures provided by the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and the presidential task force on COVID-19.

It mentioned that some of the reasons for the poor compliance include inadequate banking facilities and lack of harmonised guidelines on the timelines and procedures for easing the lockdown.

The report also noted that inadequate training of security agents on policing the pandemic at the different levels or phases contributed to the non-compliance with provided directives.

CLEEN foundation called on state governments to immediately beef up security at the entry points into sub-national regions across the country to help check the spread of COVID19 through community transmissions.

It also urged commercial banks and other private businesses to prioritise the welfare and safety of customers.

The organisation called on law enforcement agents to be proactive in enforcing social distancing rules, use of face masks in public and ban on large gatherings, especially in worship centres, while ensuring that human rights are not violated.

As of Thursday, Nigeria had recorded 3,526 confirmed cases of COVID-19, out of which 601 patients have been discharged while 107 persons have died.