The Inspector-General of Police, IGP, Mohammed Adamu, has reversed the order restricting movement of essential services providers, following the COVID-19 lockdown.
On Tuesday, after a virtual meeting, the Inspector-General had directed strict enforcement of inter-state movement restriction and the provisions of the curfew.
Following Adamu’s order, essential services providers, especially health workers and journalists, were detained by policemen on Tuesday night, leading to an outcry. In Lagos, many of the detained essential services providers were forced to sleep in their cars at the police stations. Also, Nigeria Medical Association, NMA, Lagos chapter, declared an indefinite strike.
They said: “Whereas the directives of President Muhammadu Buhari, through the Presidential Task Force on COVID-19, was clear on the exemption of essential workers including doctors and other health workers, the Commissioner of Police in Lagos State, Mr. Hakeem Odumosu, has been issuing conflicting directives that essential workers, including doctors and other health workers were not exempted.” However, on Wednesday, a statement by DCP Frank Mba, Force Public Relations Officer, reversed the order. It stated that:
“All essential workers, including medical personnel, firefighters, ambulance services, journalists, etc, are exempted from the restriction of movement associated with the partial lockdown and national curfew across the federation. “The Inspector-General of Police, IGP, Mohammed Adamu has, therefore, directed all zonal Assistant Inspectors-General of Police and commands’ Commissioners of Police to give effects to these exemptions, while enforcing the restriction orders.”
