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Corps Marshal of the Federal Road Safety Corps, Boboye Oyeyemi, has ordered commanding officers to step up enforcement on restrictions and physical distancing among vehicle occupants and carry out the presidential directive by seizing any vehicles that violate the orders.
This followed President Muhammadu Buhari’s extension of the current lockdown in Lagos, Ogun states and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Abuja for another 14 days effective 11:59 pm Monday, April 13, 2020.
FRSC Spokesman, Bisi Kazeem, who disclosed this in a statement in Abuja, added that the Corps Marshal’s order was meant to restate FRSC’s commitment towards sustaining existing collaborations with the Federal and state governments in the fight against coronavirus.
Kazeem added that the action was to further ensure that the restriction order was diligently and effectively enforced with professionalism, civility and resilience.
He maintained that the upsurge in deaths and spread of the virus across the globe, which the Federal Government was working hard to subdue in Nigeria, was not an operation the Corps would treat with kid gloves.
“As such, Oyeyemi’s order to commanding officers is to ensure full utilisation of the work force through effective deployment of personnel to arrest without hesitation, any motorist who contravenes the stay-at-home order,” he added.
Kazeem also explained that Oyeyemi ordered that except the vehicles and the occupants were accredited essential workers with proof of identification, officers must ensure that the vehicles were impounded and the occupants handed over to the police for prosecution for contravening the presidential order.
While warning citizens to comply with the restriction order or face the wrath of the law, Oyeyemi also advised essential workers, who might be tempted to compromise the physical distance directives of vehicles to refrain from such, as the virus does not discriminate or spare anybody irrespective of class or profession.
