Delta state borders remain shut despite relaxed lockdown

By Okafor Ofiebor

Delta State Government has reiterated that the state’s precincts remained closed to all road users, except those on essential services.

Deputy Governor of Delta State, Kingsley Burutu Otuaro, who briefed journalists in Patani, a border town between Delta and Bayelsa states and at Ugbenu in Ethiope West local government areas, said the gains derived from the battle against coronavirus pandemic cannot be frittered away by allowing any arbitrary movement of people in and out of the state.

Otuaro said: “We are here to access the level of compliance of the lockdown order made by the Delta State Governor, Senator Dr Arthur Okowa. We want to see for ourselves the level to which commuters and travellers to and from the South Eastern states, Bayelsa, Rivers and other states are complying with the lockdown order of our land borders”

“I want to use this medium to reiterate that the broadcast of Governor Okowa primarily conveyed an easing of the lock-down and that indeed does not affect the hitherto lock-down of the inter-state borders.”

“Inter-state borders hitherto on lock-down, remain locked down for another two weeks. We need to make this clarification so that travellers from the Eastern states do not misconstrue the state-wide broadcast made by His Excellency. ”

“The easing of the lock-down does not in any way apply to our borders and as such, travellers should be very much aware of that, and we expect that they comply accordingly. This is important because we cannot afford to toy with the gains we have made in ordering a lockdown”, he stated.

Otuaro, who was also at Ugbenu and Ologbo border towns of Delta and Edo States, maintained that any commuter, who breach the law would be sent back to wherever they are coming from except only those on essential services that will be screened very well at the border points before they could be allowed into the state.

He commended the Chairman of Patani local government council, Hon Perez Omoun, and his Ethiope West counterpart, Hon Solomon Galley, members of the Borders Enforcement Committee, including the security agencies for doing good jobs in protecting the border points since the lock-down started.