Inspector-General of Police, Mohammed Adamu has revoked an order restricting the movement of essential workers amid the COVID-19 lockdown.
On Tuesday, some essential workers including journalists and medics were restricted from moving within Lagos at the beginning of the 8 pm curfew imposed to control the spread of the coronavirus virus.
According to the security officials, the essential staffs were stopped because of an order to restrict all human and vehicular movements from 8pm, regardless of their duties.
However, in a statement late Tuesday, IGP Mohammed Adamu said essential workers can now go about their essential duties.
The IGP directed all “Zonal Assistant Inspectors General of Police and Commands Commissioners of Police to give effect to these exemptions whilst enforcing the restriction orders.”
Covid-19: Enforcement of Restriction Orders
All essential workers including Medical Personnel,Firefighters, Ambulance Services,Journalists,etc are exempted from the restriction of movement associated with both the partial lockdown and the national curfew across the Federation.
— Nigeria Police Force (@PoliceNG) May 19, 2020
They are however to always go about with a valid means of identification.
Also, the IGP on Tuesday held a virtual conference with “strategic managers” of the police force.
At the end of the meeting, the police decided to implement “strict enforcement of inter-state movement restriction orders” in order to help curb the spread of the virus.
For weeks, members of the Presidential Task Force (PTF) on COVID-19 have lamented noncompliance to social distancing measures, especially as the economy is gradually being reopened.
There have also been numerous reports of people found in trucks attempting to cross state borders, despite a presidential order that placed a “ban on non-essential inter-state passenger travels until further notice.”
Interstate travel has been identified as one of the major means through which the virus is transmitted in Nigeria.
