By Ebi Perekeme
Delta State Government has maintained its position on the state’s boarder closure due to the COVID-19 pandemic, saying that its borders across the state remains closed to all commuters including other road users.
Deacon Kingsley Burutu Otuaro, the Deputy Governor of Delta State briefed Journalists Wednesday April 29 on the stance of government in Patani, the border between Delta State and Bayelsa State and at Ugbenu-Oghara, in Ethiope West Local Government Areas, saying that the pandemic cannot be toyed with, hence any arbitrary moment of people in and out of the state is prohibited.
According to Otuaro, “We are here to access the level of compliance of the lockdown order made by the Delta State Governor, Senator (Dr) Ifeanyi Okowa.
“We want to see for ourselves the level to which commuters and travellers of the South Eastern border of Bayelsa, Rivers and others are complying to the lockdown order of our land borders.”
“I want to use this medium to reiterate that the broadcast of His Excellency, the Governor of Delta State yesterday, primarily conveyed that it was on the easing of the lockdown and that indeed, does not affect the hitherto lockdown of the inter state borders.
“Interstate borders hitherto lockdown, remains lockdown for another two weeks.
“We need to make this clarification so that travellers from the Eastern States do not misconstrue the state wide broadcast made by His Excellency.”
“The ease of the lockdown does not in anyway apply to our borders and as such, travellers should be very much aware of that.
“We expect that they comply accordingly. This is important because we can not afford to toy with the gains we have made in ordering for a lock down.”
The Deputy Governor who was also at Ugbenu-Oghara and Ologbo border towns of Delta and Edo states, maintained further that any commuter who breaches the law will be sent back to wherever the person was coming from except only those on essential services who will be screened very well at the border points before they could be allowed into the state.
He commended the Chairman of Patani Local Government Council, Hon. Perez Omoun (Esq) FCIM and his Ethiope West counterpart, Hon. Solomon Galley, members Borders Enforcement Committees including the security agencies for doing a good job in protecting the borders points since the lockdown started.
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