The police in Lagos have arrested 179 suspects for either flouting the curfew or going out without face masks as mandated by the government.
They were arrested at different parts of the state on May 4 being day-one of the lockdown relaxation period, spokesman Bala Elkana said on Tuesday night.
According to him, 121 of the suspects were apprehended for not respecting the 8pm to 6am curfew while 58 persons were arrested for not wearing face masks.
Elkana said the police also impounded 79 vehicles seen on the road during the curfew period.
He said: “The suspects along with the 148 suspects arrested during the weekend for violating lockdown order were charged to court, bringing the number of suspects charged today to 325.
They were sentenced accordingly. Some of the suspects were given four hours community service while others were awarded fines of N2,500 and N3000 respectively.
Also, 100 drivers were arrested and their vehicles impounded in the state for flouting the social distancing order.
The suspects were arrested by the state Traffic Management Authority (LASTMA), the agency’s General Manager Olajide Oduyoye said.
Two magistrate courts sitting in Port Harcourt, the Rivers State capital, have sanctioned over 70 persons for violating Governor Nyesom Wike’s sit-at-home and border restriction orders.
The suspects were in heavy duty trucks heading for Zamfara State when they were arrested by members of the state task force on border restrictions.
They were arrested on May 1, 2020 and charged with violating the law on border restriction.
They pleaded guilty to the charge and were given different amounts of fines depending on their roles in the offence.
The Kwara State command of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) also arrested 60 persons for allegedly violating the COVID-19 lockdown order in the state.
The command’s spokesman Ayeni Olasunkanmi disclosed this in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Ilorin on Tuesday.
NAN recalls that the corps had deployed 250 personnel, drawn from its Crisis Management Department, Medical Unit and Operations Department, to assist in containing the spread of the virus in the state.
Olasunkanmi said that all the arrested persons were taken to Sango Magistrates’ Court, Ilorin, for prosecution, where various punishments were meted out to them and appropriate fines imposed.
He said that some of the violators were sentenced to two weeks’ community service, with options of fine, ranging from N5,000 to N10,000, while others bagged both.
Aside the 60 violators, who were prosecuted, Olasunkanmi said that some others were also intercepted, adding, however, that they were later pardoned due to some reasons.
According to him, the NSCDC operatives have continued to ensure that people obey the stay-at-home order by the state government, adding that any violator will be arrested and prosecuted accordingly.
The NSCDC spokesperson said despite the easing of the lockdown, people should stay indoors as much as possible and maintain social distancing while outside, to prevent the virus from further spreading in the state.