Kaduna State Government on Monday directed that all roadblocks at the various entry borders of the state be removed and replaced by alternative barricades that enforced the ban on interstate travel.
In a statement issued by Governor Nasir El-Rufai’s Special Adviser on Media and Communication, Muyiwa Adekeye also directed that all boundary patrols undertaken by state government officials as part
The Governor said the decision was reached based on the recommendation of the State Taskforce on Covid-19 that following a review of the situation in the state entry borders had directed that henceforth, the only roadblocks authorised within the state are those that are mounted to enforce the 8pm-5am curfew. It said the state government had received reports of persistent extortion of vehicles conveying essential goods by some security officials a situation the state said it will not allow.
“While non-essential travel has been wantonly indulged at the state boundaries, there are reports of continued extortion by some security agents of vehicles transporting essentials goods,” it stated. “Clearly, the prohibition of interstate travel by the Federal Government as part of Covid-19 containment efforts has largely been observed in the breach by the people charged with enforcing it,” the statement further stated.
The statement explained that the ban on interstate travel has been consistently implemented only when state government officials have been deployed to the entry points, stressing that, “officials on boundary duty consistently reported at best lacklustre or perfunctory cooperation by security agencies in enforcing the interstate travel ban.”
