…As State Police Command Releases Emergency Phone Lines

Through joint efforts of the security agencies, Council Chairmen, youths and Neighborhood Watch Groups in Udenu, Igbo-Eze North and Nsukka Local Government Areas of Enugu State, more vehicles violating the interstate transportation ban and the Presidential directive on curfew at the Enugu-Benue and Enugu-Kogi boundaries and within the council areas, have been intercepted.

The intercepted vehicles with passengers coming into Enugu State, mostly from the Northern part of the country, were turned back while those attempting to travel out of the state were impounded at the police stations.

Speaking on the development, the new Divisional Police Officer (DPO) in charge of Udenu LGA of Enugu State, SP Philip Nwazi, disclosed that some of the violating vehicles were intercepted and impounded in the council area between the hours of 11pm on Tuesday and 3am on Wednesday.

The DPO further disclosed that, through joint efforts, some of the vehicles were intercepted at the land boundaries while others emerged from the forests in an attempt to beat the restriction order, adding that they were turned back to where they were coming from to serve as deterrent to those who plan to violate governments’ directives on lockdown.

The Udenu Council Chairman, Hon. Solomon Onah, confirmed the incidents, maintaining that the council is fully mobilized and working round the clock to ensure that the Enugu State Government’s directives on lockdown and that of the Presidency were effectively carried out.

On their part, the Council Chairmen of Igbo-Eze North and Nsukka LGAs, Hon. Ejike Itodo and Hon. Patrick Omeje respectively, also confirmed that offending vehicles and passengers were intercepted, impounded and turned back to serve as deterrent to those who may want to traverse Enugu State, in violation of the restriction order.

Yesterday, a luxury bus with passengers from the Northern part of the country was reported to have been intercepted at Nsukka town by some vigilant youths in the area with the assistance of the military and was consequently escorted out of the state through the Enugu-Benue boundary from where it entered the state.

Similar enforcement operations are going on in other land boundaries in the state, such as the Enugu-Abia boundary, along Enugu-Port Harcourt Expressway, where vehicles with passengers were intercepted and turned back accordingly.

In an interaction with the Police Public Relations Officer, Enugu State Command, ASP Daniel Ndukwe, he requested the public to always contact the command’s emergency numbers in the case of any report and complaint, as follows: 08032003702, 08075390883, 08086671202, 08098880172, assuring that he “will always do my best from here”.

Enugu State government has been intercepting interstate travellers violating the national lockdown directive aimed at curtailing the spread of COVID-19 in the country.