43 Charged To Court In FCT For Violating COVID-19 Protocol
By Gbenga Omokhunu, Abuja
No fewer than 43 violators of COVID-19 guidelines were arraigned today in a mobile court in Abuja.
The offenders who were earlier arrested from different parts of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) by the Taskforce on Enforcement of COVID-19 Guidelines were on Monday afternoon dragged before a mobile court sitting at the Eagle Square, Abuja.
Presiding Magistrate Idayat Akani summarily charged all the accused for gross violation of the “Corona virus Disease (COVID-19) Health Protection Regulation, 2021”, which was signed on 26th January, 2021 by President Muhammadu Buhari.
Educating the violators about the regulation and proper use of facemasks, Akani advised them not to leave their nose out of the facemasks, hand it round their chin or put it inside their pockets, adding that the idea was not just for them to pocket their masks and rush to bring them out on seeing taskforce personnel, but to always and properly wear it so as to curtail further spread of the disease.
Speaking to journalists during the court sitting, Head of the taskforce’s Public Enlightenment arm, Comrade Ikharo Attah warned the people to always comply with the guidelines warning that his men would not hesitate to arrest violators and make them face the law squarely.
Ikharo, while appreciating efforts from the six Area Councils, particularly from the Divisional Police Officers (DPOs) revealed that some of the violators were arrested and sent in for prosecution by the DPOs from the Area Councils.
He therefore underscored the beauty of the council’s coming on board to join enforcement of COVID-19 protocols in the nation’s capital, and pledged support of the Commissioner of Police to assisting enforcement at the council level whenever there was need and request.
Reassuring of the commitment of the FCT Minister, Malam Muhammad Musa Bello to preventing spread of the deadly pandemic in the Abuja, Ikharo also stated that the FCT Commissioner of Police, CP Bala Ciroma, who chairs the FCT Committee on Enforcement of COVID-19 Regulation was always willing to deploy his men to enforce the presidential regulation on COVID-19.
According to Ikharo, while three of the accused were released because they were minors, two of them were granted bail, even as some who had money immediately paid different categories of fines, ranging from N2000 to about N3000.
Others were made to carry out community services by sweeping Abuja streets, depending on their degree of violation.
