Vehicle Inspection Officers (VIO) in Ondo State on Wednesday, intercepted a truck containing 23 Northerners along Ilesha /Akure Road for flouting the interstate restriction order of the Federal Government.
The vehicle which was intercepted at Igbaraoke Town in Ifedore Local Government Area of the state by the VIO officials after noticing the truck loaded with many people heading towards Akure, the state capital.
It was discovered that all the occupants of the truck hailed from the Northern part of the country and were heading to nowhere in particular in Akure.
The driver of the truck who spoke in Hausa language explained that he was asked to drop the people in Akure by some people who stopped him along Ilesha/Akure road.
He said he was in Ile-Ife, Osun State, to deliver a cement consignment and was heading to the North when they begged him to drop them in Akure, while most of the people in the truck said they have no place in mind to settle down.
The Special Adviser on Transport to the state governor, Mr Tobi Ogunleye, interviewed the people and asked the officials and the driver to return the people to the spot or village where they were picked.
The state government has ordered the closure of all interstate motor parks across the state to checkmate the smuggling of coronavirus infected people into the state.
Ogunleye, who made this known while briefing newsmen at the Ministry of Transport, Akure, said the directive became necessary as the activities of interstate commercial drivers were circumventing the efforts of the state government in keeping migrants out of the state.
He explained that despite the ban on interstate movement, road transport workers were still conveying travellers in and out of the state unhindered.
Ogunleye said, “It becomes imperative now that all the drivers’ unions; whether National Union of Road Transport Workers, the Road Transport Employers Association of Nigeria and every other associated union, should place their interstate parks under complete lock for us to be able to identify those who are actually waging war against this state.”
He said the state government remains committed to ensuring that everybody living within the state complies with the compulsory use of nose masks in public places and also adhere to all the measures put in place to curtail the spread of the virus.
He appealed to all commercial drivers to join hands with the state government and adhere to all directives by the government in taming the spread of coronavirus.
“We are in a serious emergency period. Emergency does not connote lawlessness. Rather, it is a situation where additional responsibilities are given to the citizens with the extant laws.
“But we viewed with the greatest dismay that people were hiding under the emergency situation to brazenly breach and violate even the existing laws without any regard to the associated rules and regulations with the COVID-19.
“We have done a bit of sensitisation, education, socialisation and even demonstrative enforcement for the willing society. Instead of appreciating the good gesture of the government to curtail the spread of COVID-19, our people kept the rules and regulations in disobedience.
“It is going to be a disservice for you to assist any erring transporter who has violated the rules from Abuja and has got himself into Ondo state with just a thin line to cross to the other side for you to assist him to cross. Rather, it is part of our responsibilities to send them back to Abuja.
“We have been in talks with our neighbouring states, especially Osun, but the report we are getting is not palatable. We told them if any vehicle is coming from Lagos and gets to Owena Osun, they should not assist them to cross to Ondo state; they should be sent back to Lagos. We want to keep our own side of the obligation.”