Gift Robert
Edo State Governor, Godwin Obaseki, has urged security agencies to propel their operatives in the state to ensure compliance with the COVID-19 safety protocols.
Obaseki, who made the appeal while speaking on Wednesday after a closed-door meeting in Benin with heads of security agencies in the state, said, “We deliberated on the security situation in the state. You can see that the security council is being renewed and refreshed with new redeployments.
“We have a new Police Commissioner, Mr Ogbadu Philip; a new Director of the Department of State Services (DSS) and we are expecting a new Brigade Commander to be deployed in the state.”
“We deliberated extensively on the enforcement of COVID-19 protocols and regulations in Edo.
You will all recall that the citizens have been complaining about the enforcement.
“People don’t wear their facemasks in public, as they should. The discussion this afternoon was centred on how we can enforce the compliance so that we can slow down the spread of the virus.
“Decisions have been taken; effective from today, you will see different teams across the state who will go about to ensure full compliance of COVID-19 protocols. The new curfew time is from 10 p.m. to 5 a.m. in the morning.”
The governor warned that night clubs and bars that flout the curfew do so at their own risk.
He added, “It is going to be full enforcement to ensure compliance with the rules. The increase in new cases is becoming alarming and worrisome.
“We also discussed issues concerning the re-arrest of convicts who broke out from the jails. We discussed issues relating to the crime statistics for the month where we have the highest report coming from homicide followed by kidnapping and armed robbery.”
He also said the state government will be working with the new security chiefs to reinforce proactive steps to tackle criminal activities in the state.