ENUGU STATE GOVERNMENT BUNDLES 16 PERSONS WHO FLOUTED BAN ON INTER-STATE BORDER MOVEMENT OUT OF THE STATE

Trouble was averted Wednesday night (May 20, 2020) AT Timber Market Maryland, Enugu when a crowd wanted to attack a group of persons alleged to be almajirai, who tried to gain entry into the market.

Eyewitnesses told Radio Nigeria that I took the intervention of the Chairman of the Market, Chief Ndubuisi Nnamani, the Police and the Enugu State Government to prevent a mob action against the suspects.

It was around seven o’clock in the night that a crowd of people gathered at the gate of the Timber Market threatening to deal with some people, who they alleged wanted to invade the market.

The Chairman Enugu Timber Market Dealers Association, Chief Ndubuisi Nnamani told Radio Nigeria that a truck, which brought timber from Bayelsa State to the market, carried about sixteen persons, who claimed to be indigenes of Nasarawa State and wanted to sleep over in the market before continue their journey with the truck driver to the state.

“About 16 of them, they are not almajirai; those people are mature men. When I interviewed them, they said they were living in Bayelsa State and they wanted to travel back to Nasarawa State to celebrate the on-coming Muslim festivals and this driver that loaded wood in Bayelsa agreed after offloading the wood in Enugu to drop them in their place in Nasarawa State. They intended to sleepover because there is no way they can offload at that time of the night,” the Market leader narrated.

Chief Nnamani further said he had to invite the police to the scene as the angry crowd accused the people of sinister motive for flouting the ban on inter-state movement after security at the market prevented the truck and its occupants from entering the market.

“We have to invite the police, they came and guarded them until I received a directive from ADC to the Governor of Enugu State, who sent a police team from the Government House and some members of the COVID-19 Task Force Team, Enugu State and they took them to Enugu-Benue border that same night,” Chief Nnamani stated.

Meanwhile, some traders and residents of Enugu have called on Governors of the South East states and security operatives to improve security at the inter-state boundaries in the zone, alleging that the boundaries were porous.

“I’m begging the government to tighten up security at the borders so that we will know whether we will be safe in this country.

“How can it be explained that these people traveled all the way from Bayelsa and nobody turned them back at the boundaries until they came to Enugu?

“I’m very, very impressed about Government coming to coming to carry these people from the north and not letting them to enter the Timber Shade but what we are saying is that they should put more efforts to ensure that we, here in Enugu, are safe,”

The respondents called for increased vigilance at night, claiming that unpatriotic persons took advantage of the previous curfew to pass through state boundaries.

CHUKWUBUIKE MADU

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