Governor El-Rufai of Kaduna State has directed the immediate removal of roadblocks at the various boundaries of the state.
According to the statement made available on Monday 15th June 2020, the Governor said all barricades placed at the entry points are to be removed forthwith, while Kaduna state government officials will no longer be posted for boundary patrols.
The Governor in the statement said, “Taskforce on Covid-19 has reviewed the situation at the state boundaries as the state emerges from partial lockdown. Persistent extortion of vehicles conveying essential goods by some security officials is complicating an already challenging period
The ban of interstate travel by the FG as part of Covid-19 containment efforts has largely been observed in the breach by the people charged with enforcing it.
The conduct of such officials is also jeopardising the timely and cost-effective delivery of essential goods.
While insufficient to stop the influx of persons, deployment of senior KDSG officials to entry points was a necessary sacrifice to help reduce the chances of Covid-19 spread through interstate travel, despite lacklustre cooperation by security agencies in enforcing the ban.
Therefore, the Kaduna State Government has directed that roadblocks at state boundaries be dismantled and removed. Henceforth, the only roadblocks authorised within the state are those that are mounted to enforce the 8 pm-5 am curfew,” the statement said.