Court fines 65 Lagosians for violating COVID-19 curfew

A Special Offences Court has fined 65 people in Lagos State for violating the nationwide 12 am to 4 am curfew.

The curfew has been in place since 2020 as one of the measures to combat the spread of COVID-19, the disease caused by the coronavirus disease.

With a second wave of the novel disease kicking off in December 2020, government officials have vowed strict enforcement of safety protocols.

Chairperson of the Lagos State Environmental and Special Offences (Enforcement) Unit, CSP Shola Jejeloye, said in a statement on Tuesday, January 5, 2021 the 65 offenders were arrested in Lekki, Surulere, and Ikeja in the early hours of January 1, 2021.

The offenders were fined N20,000 each after they pleaded guilty to one count charge of breaching the curfew order.

They were also hit with an additional one hour of community service by the mobile court.

"If we don't do the needful, the spread of the disease will continue unabated," Jejeloye warned.

The taskforce chairman also announced that 11 vehicles were similarly impounded for being on the road during the curfew period.

The owners of the impounded vehicles were fined N50,000 each by the court.

Jejeloye said his unit will ensure compliance with public health regulations and protocols as directed by the state government to limit the spread of COVID-19.

"We must also be conscious of the fact that the new strain of the virus spreads faster than the old strain, as such the Lagos State Government will continue to insist and encourage Lagosians to obey all the COVID-19 stipulated protocols," he said.

Over 92,000 COVID-19 cases have been recorded in Nigeria since the first case was detected in February.