The Ijesaland lockdown Enforcement Committee on Friday, expressed dissatisfaction with the compliance level of the exercise so far.
This is just as it warned people from other parts of the country living in Ijesaland against flouting government’s directives designed to prevent community transmission of Coronavirus in the State.
It condemned in its entirety the high level of disobedience displayed by some artisanal miners resident in some parts of Ijesaland since the beginning of the lockdown in the areas, insisting that the migrants in Ifewara and its environs in Atakunmosa West Local Government had turned deaf ears to lockdown order imposed on the residents of the area.
Government of the State of Osun had last weekend announced a 7-day total lockdown in four local governments in Ijesa axis of the State as part of efforts to curb community transmission of the Coronavirus pandemic.
The enforcement team, which toured Iwara-Ijesa, Iwikun-Ijesa and Ifewara-Ijesa all in Atakunmosa-West local government area, arrested some violators who were later sensitised on the health implications of COVID-19 and the likely effect of their insolence.
The Special Adviser to the Governor on Security, Mrs. Abiodun Ige, who led the enforcement team, decried the way and manner the migrants residing in the areas flouted government’s directives.
She lamented what she described as gross disobedience of government’s directives, saying the suspected migrants were carrying on as if there was no lockdown in Ifewara and its environs.
Ige who expressed fear of the implications of the conduct of the migrants in the town noted that if urgent action was not taken, such an act might jeopardise the fundamental reason the lockdown was imposed.
She warned the defaulters to desist from taking government’s directives for granted, saying there won’t be any preferential treatment in the enforcement of rules.
“It is unfortunate that despite the lockdown, some people from other parts of the country still flagrantly opened their markets and engaged in open buying and selling activities.
“As you can see, we met them here in the market selling and buying as if there was no lockdown. Many of them didn’t observe safety protocols. They didn’t wear nose masks and they didn’t maintain social distancing as directed by the government”, she added.
Also, the Special Adviser to the Governor on Rural Development and Community Affairs, Hon. Mumini Adekunle Rafiu, lamented the poor compliance level experienced in some parts of the areas.
He said government would not rest on its oars in ensuring strict compliance to lockdown order as efforts would be jerked up to strengthen security in the affected areas.
