By Michael Adesanya/Abeokuta
The Ogun State Police Command on Thursday expressed displeasure over flagrant disobedience of the government’s directives for commercial vehicles not to carry more than three passengers per row of seats.
The command said some commercial vehicles and motorcycles are still in the habit of overloading their vehicles with passengers, thereby disobeying the directive on social/physical distancing.
The police, in a statement by the command’s Spokesman, Abimbola Oyeyemi in Abeokuta, said the habit was capable of jeopardizing the efforts of the state government to combat the spread of COVID-19 pandemic.
Oyeyemi also noted that, many residents of the state are moving around without the use of face mask, stressing that anybody caught moving around without face mask will be arrested and dealt with in accordance with the law.
He said, “the Ogun State police command has observed with dismay the flagrant disobedience to the government directives which made it compulsory for everybody to always put on face mask when moving around within the State in order to mitigate the spread of the deadly Coronavirus also known as COVID 19.
“The Command also observed that commercial vehicles and motorcycles are still in the habit of overloading their vehicles with passengers thereby disobeying the directive on social/physical distancing which is capable of jeopardizing the efforts of the government in war against COVID 19 pandemic.
“The Commissioner of police, Kenneth Ebrimson hereby appeals to the good people of Ogun State to adhere strictly with these directives as anybody caught moving around without face mask will be apprehended and dealt with in accordance with the law.
He said “The Command has also directed its personnel across the State to henceforth arrest any vehicle or motorcycle that is caught carrying more than the required passengers, while such vehicles or motorcycles will be impounded, the driver/rider will be prosecuted”.
“The Command hereby enjoined all and sundry to cooperate with the government so that we will jointly fight the pandemic to stand still,” the statement said.