To slow coronavirus spread, the ban on interstate travel has to be enforced [Pulse Editorial Opinion]

To slow coronavirus spread, the ban on interstate travel has to be enforced [Pulse Editorial]

Pulse nigeria

May 8, 2020 2:47 PM

There have been reports of motorists bribing police officers manning interstate barricades as Nigeria battles a pandemic. This has to stop.

Law enforcement has aided and abetted the spread of the virus across Nigeria (Pulse.ng)

Lockdowns and curfews during a pandemic like the contagious coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak the world is currently battling, can only be effective in a developing nation like Nigeria if enforced.

One of the directives issued by federal and state governments in a bid to curb the spread of the virus has been a ban on interstate travel.

Night-time curfews have also been imposed nationwide to restrict the movement of persons at certain hours.

However, there is sufficient evidence that these directives are being flouted daily as Nigerians board buses to other parts of the country from coronavirus hotspots like Lagos, Abuja, Kano and elsewhere.

Gov. Sanwo-Olu updates Buhari on a fire explosion in Lagos at the State House Abuja (Presidency) Pulse Nigeria

ChannelsTV recently aired a disturbing clip where commercial motorists in the Jibowu, Yaba and Oyingbo areas of Lagos openly boasted about how they make their way through checkpoints and barricades erected by law enforcement across the country, after handing the officers generous tips.

“If we have a police escort, we can move. It’s not the buses we use but Sienna cars,” one driver confessed unashamedly.

In the same footage, a tout would go on to boast about how they fleece commuters desperate to leave Lagos to other parts of the country.

A trip from Lagos to Port Harcourt now costs N17,000. To get to Owerri from the nation’s commercial capital, you have to part with N15,000, while Benin and Warri trips now cost N13,000 and N15,000 respectively, the tout shared.

Asked how they get past law enforcement, one transporter said; “it’s all about settlement.”

There have also been reports of truck drivers concealing humans in jute or plastic bags in the guise that they are transporting food or essential items, as those are exempt from the travel ban.

Reports of how law enforcement and citizens flagrantly flout lockdown and curfew directives across the nation are rife.

Police bribery is a thing on Nigerian roads (Twitter Nigeria meme factory) Police bribery is a thing on Nigerian roads (Twitter Nigeria meme factory) Pulse Nigeria

These alleged corrupt practices from law enforcement, transporters and commuters at a time when the world needs humans to limit their movement as much as possible, undermines Nigeria’s coronavirus containment response and leaves everyone at risk of contracting the virus.

There have also been reports of COVID-19 patients escaping from isolation treatment centers across the country, while infecting anyone they come in close contact with as they hobble along. Eight states have reported cases of fleeing COVID-19 patients at the last count.

Nigeria’s reported COVID-19 tally is now nearing the 4,000 mark and it could get a whole lot worse for us all. Interstate travel bans need to be enforced, curfews need to be respected and law enforcement personnel need to stop receiving kickbacks in exchange for the passage of commercial vehicles to other parts of the country.

Pulse Editorial is the opinion of the editorial team of Pulse. It does not represent the opinion of the organization Pulse.'

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