Police Impound 269 Vehicles Over Violations In Abuja

The Federal Capital Territory Police Command has said it has so far impounded about 269 vehicles for violating the lockdown order.

The President, Muhammadu Buhari, had on Sunday last week ordered a two-week lockdown of Lagos and Ogun states as well as the FCT, as part of measures to curtail the spread of coronavirus.

The FCT police spokesman, DSP Anjuguri Manzah, said on Sunday that the owners were cautioned while their vehicles were held.

He said , “Over 200 vehicles belonging to violators of the lockdown directive are in our custody. The motorists were not detained because of the social distancing directives, but their vehicles have been impounded.

“We are still carrying out a 24-hour monitoring of the city. We appeal to FCT residents to abide by the stay-at-home order.”

It was also observed that some commercial drivers, engaged in providing inter-state services between the FCT and Kaduna, were active.

Residents of several satellite towns in the FCT equally visited open markets and corner shops to make purchases.

Most of the residents, however, failed to observe the physical social distancing instruction.

In Kubwa, a number of residents were observed making purchases at markets in Kubwa, Arab Road, Byagyin, Dutse Alhaji, Army Housing and Abattoir.

A resident, Ngozi Okoye, who spoke to one of correspondents in the Kubwa market, said, “My family must eat even if they say we should not go to church. Our children are back from school and they eat from morning till night.”

Kenny Ogbuagwu, a motorist, told one of our correspondents, “People are tired of staying indoors.”

However, in the Bwari area, one of our correspondents observed that the rate of compliance to the lockdown on Sunday was high.

In Kuje area council, traders including those who transact business on walkways around the central market were off the streets when one of our correspondents visited.

A resident of the area, who gave his name as Yahaya Tanko, said, “I don’t have money to go out and buy anything. The little food we have is almost running out.”

But commercial activities in the Mpape area, a few metres away from highbrow Maitama District, were also in full swing when one of our correspondents visited.

One of the traders who did not give his name said, “For most of the residents of Mpape, COVID-19 doesn’t exist.

Meanwhile, an Islamic cleric, Imam Abubakar, was arrested in the Wuye District of the Federal Capital Territory on Sunday for contravening the presidential lockdown order aimed at curbing the further spread of coronavirus in Abuja.

A Turkish man and an Angolan citizen were also arrested in Wuse 2 for violating the stay-at-home directive.

Chairman of the FCTA enforcement team, Attah Ikharo, said the men were taken to the Maitama Police Division.

He said the task force team also impounded 269 vehicles for contravening the presidential order in the nation’s capital