FCTA sets up mobile courts to try violators of lockdown

The federal capital territory administration (FCTA) says it has set up mobile courts to try violators of the lockdown order.

In a statement on Wednesday, Anthony Ogunleye, chief press secretary (CPS) to Muhammad Bello, FCT minister, said the administration took the measure to ensure there is no escalation in the number of COVID-19 cases in the nation’s capital.

Ogunleye said residents have used the excuse of going to the market to flout the lockdown order.

He asked residents to patronise markets in their neighbourhoods, adding that henceforth, there would be no market on Wednesdays and Saturdays.

“While the level of compliance has been satisfactory at the Federal Capital City (FCC) over the first few days of the lockdown, the same cannot be said about the satellite towns located at the various area councils where residents there have largely ignored the lockdown directive,” he said.

“Despite the directives that residents should patronize neighborhood shops and markets within their districts and not move from one district to the other to buy their essential items in order to minimize movement of people and vehicles across the city, this has largely been flouted as well.

“In order to ensure that the FCT does not witness an escalation in the number of COVID-19 positive cases and prevent a public health emergency, the FCT Administration has resolved on the following new measures to enforce the cessation of movement and ensure its compliance by residents of the FCT. They include the following; Market operational days are henceforth reduced to two days in a week namely Wednesdays and Saturdays only.

“Residents should patronize only neighborhood markets as movement from one district to the other now constitutes a violation of the lockdown. Mobile courts will now be activated to try all violators of the directive on the cessation of movement across the FCT.”

Ogunleye said motorbikes are banned in the suburbs of Kubwa and Dutse Alhaji during the lockdown.

The FCT has so far recorded 58 cases of the disease, the second highest in the country.