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COVID-19 Lockdown: FCTA Activates Mobile Courts To Try Defaulters, Reviews Market Operations

Published

6 years ago

April 16, 2020

FCT Minister, Malam Muhammad Musa Bello Welcomes the FCT Police Commissioner, Bala Ciroma to the FCT COVID-19 Security Committee meeting .

The Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA) has activated mobile courts for instant prosecution of violators of COVID-19 pandemic lockdown directives.

Also, it has banned operations of motorcycles (Okada) anywhere in Kubwa and Dutse Alhaji satellite towns of FCT and restricted market operations to two days weekly: Wednesday and Saturday.

These formed part of the decisions contained in new guidelines on cessation of movement in the FCT released Wednesday after security council meeting presided by the Minister, Muhammad Bello.

The FCTA further warned residents to patronize only neighborhood markets as movement from one district to the other now constitutes a violation of the lockdown.

It said its agents would step up sensitization efforts especially in the rural communities and enjoins Area Council, Chairmen, traditional rulers and community leaders to actively engage in sensitizing the populace on the dangers of COVID -19.

On review of the first 14-Days lockdown, the FCTA noted that while the level of compliance had been satisfactory at the Federal Capital City (FCC) over the first few days of the lockdown, the same cannot be said about the satellite towns located at the various area councils where residents there have largely ignored the lockdown directive.

Further, it said over the past few days, adherence to the lockdown directives at the City Center has also deteriorated

Other observations include that: “Residents have used the excuse of going to the markets to flout the lockdown directives and traders selling non-essential food commodities have also used this window to open their shops in clear violation of the directives not to do so;

“Despite the directives that residents should patronize neighborhood shops and markets within their districts and not move from one district to the other to buy their essential items in order to minimize movement of people and vehicles across the city, this has largely been flouted as well”.