COVID-19 guidelines: Lagos police arrest 71 suspects at night clubs, impound 13 vehicles
Task Force arraigns 65 for violating COVID-19 curfew
Joy Anyim
No fewer than 71 persons were, on Sunday night, arrested for violating COVID-19 guidelines at different clubs in Lagos.
According to a statement by the Command, on Tuesday, the violators were arrested by operatives of the Lagos State Task Force, a Unit of the Lagos State Police Command.
The statement signed by the Lagos Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO), Olumuyiwa Adejobi, revealed that 13 vehicles were also impounded during the raid for violating Covid-19 curfew.
The statement read, “ The Lagos State Police Command, premised on its vow to enforce Covid-19 orders in the state, pounced on some night clubs on January 3, at about 3:00a.m and arrested 71 suspects for violating Covid-19 orders at Lekki and Surulere areas of the state respectively.
“The Commissioner of Police (CP), Lagos State, Hakeem Odumosu, had already instructed the Task Force, Divisional Police Officers (DPOs) and other operational units in the command to go after the recalcitrant and deviant individuals who might want to violate the orders and bring them to book.
“The clubs raided by the Task Force included Folix Club, Lekki, and Bench Bar, Adeniran Ogunsanya, Surulere, Lagos State. In addition, the Taskforce impounded 11 vehicles for violating the 12 midnight to 4a.m. curfew and two vehicles for driving against the traffic(one way) on the same date. ”
He said the Commissioner of Police has ordered for the immediate trial of the suspects and necessary sanctions for the owners of the impounded vehicles.
“He further directed that officers and men of the command must intensify efforts on total compliance with the Covid-19 guidelines and protocols as rolled out by the Presidential Taskforce and the Lagos State Government, ” Adejobi stated.
Meanwhile, the Lagos State Environmental and Special Offences Enforcement Unit (Taskforce) said 65 suspects had been arraigned at the Special Offences (Mobile) Court.
Chairman of the Agency, Shola Jejeloye, a Chief Superintendent of Police (CSP), disclosed that the 65 offenders were arrested around Lekki, Surulere and Ikeja during a midnight enforcement operations on new year day as directed by the Lagos State Commissioner of Police (CP), Hakeem Odumosu.
The Chairman disclosed further that 11 vehicles were also impounded for movement during the mid-night curfew.
CSP Jejeloye stated that the Lagos State Government will not hesitate in bringing the full weight of the law to bear on any person or organization caught breaching ‘Public Health Regulations and Protocols’ with regards to the Covid-19 disease
He said: “ If we don’t do these, the surge will continue and with the new strain of COVID19 which is becoming much more difficult to handle than the old strain, the Lagos State Government will continue to insist and encourage Lagosians to please obey all Covid-19 Protocols. ‘”
CSP Jejeloye however urged citizens to always wear face masks at all times, properly wash or sanitize their hands and practice physical distancing in compliance with Covid-19 safety guidelines.
“Meanwhile, all the 65 arraigned offenders were fined N20,000 each with additional one hour ‘Community Service’ after they all pleaded ‘Guilty’ to the one count charge of breaching the curfew order in contrary to ‘Regulation 15 (3a-d) of the Lagos State Infectious Diseases (Emergency Prevention) Regulation 2020’
“Also, owners of the 11 impounded vehicles were fined N50.000 each by the court. Magistrate Lateef Layeni, Magistrate Shakirat Obasa and Magistrate Oluwatosin Fagboun of the Lagos State Special Offences (Mobile) Court presided over the matter, ” he stated.
