Ekiti Government, in its bid to enforce the use of face masks by the residents of the state and other COVID-19 protocols, which started on Monday, arrested 100 alleged violators of the directive and consequently detained them for six hours.
Mr Femi Olanrewaju, the General Manager, Ekiti State Traffic Management Agency (EKSTMA), whose office is saddled with that responsibility, disclosed this to the News Agency of Nigeria in Ado-Ekiti.
Olanrewaju said that the arrest and release of the violators on Monday were warnings that the state government was serious on containing the spread of COVID-19 pandemic in the state.
The state government had, on Friday, warned that beginning from July 20, violators of the protocols meant to combat the pandemic would be arrested and be prosecuted by a special court.
The State Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice, Mr Wale Fapohunda, announced the directive.
He said that anyone who refused to wear face mask or wear it improperly as well as ignored other guidelines, would be liable to arrest, fined or subjected to community service.
Olanrewaju, who led the operation, said that although the offenders were supposed to be prosecuted in line with the laid down rules, they were, however, pardoned, owing to the respect the governor has for the people of the state.
“But from Tuesday, every offender arrested will be tried properly at the special offences court and proper punitive actions will be meted out to them because government is not ready to compromise the wellbeing of the people as regard COVID-19 Protocols.
“This action is not targeted at generating money for the state through fines that will be imposed on offenders after their trials at the special offences court, but we are trying to checkmate a lot of people against living reckless lives.
“What we did on Monday was a warning operation, and that was why we pardoned the violators.
“It is a warning or amnesty operation, which we granted to them, after delaying the offenders for about six hours.
” Also, we have warned commercial drivers and cyclists to always insist that their commuters and other road users must always put on face masks before boarding their vehicles and tricycles.
“They should also refrain from carrying those without face masks, because such also constitutes an offence under COVID-19 guidelines law,” he said.
