…nationals “sentenced’’ to mandatory isolation for 14 days, others fined

No fewer than 12 violators of the COVID-19 lockdown order including two foreign nationals have been apprehended and prosecuted in Ekiti State.

The foreigners who are Egyptian nationals and 10 others were arraigned at an Ado Ekiti court for violating the State Coronavirus (Prevention of Infection) Regulations, 2020.

The accused who were hauled up before a Chief Magistrates’ Court were charged with a two-count offence of violating the provisions of regulation 2(1)(b) and 12 of the Ekiti State Coronavirus (Prevention of Infection) Regulations, 2020 as wells as Section 8 of the Quarantine Act, Cap Q2, LFN, 2004.

They also breached Section 202 of the Criminal Code Law, Laws of Ekiti State, 2012 which states that without lawful excuse they were driving or riding in violation of the order.

Persecondnews recalls that President Muhammadu Buhari had ordered a lockdown of Abuja, Lagos and Ogun States while some states including Ekiti also imposed no-movement order or curfew to curtail the spread of coronavirus.

Reeling out his judgment, Chief Magistrate Abdulhamid Lawal, said the Egyptians (Mohammed Mustapha and Mahmud Ahmed) were guilty as charged and fined them N2,500 each on counts 1 and 2,  totalling N10,000.

“Both defendants are reasonably suspects and should be kept in mandatory isolation for 14 days, since one of them, gave evidence in court that he came into the state this morning, April 1, 2020, from Ilorin, Kwara State.”

Others, who received various fines for violating the restriction order included two brothers, Oladapo and Matthew, for riding on commercial motorcycle during the stay-at-home order and both will pay N2,500 each on the two counts.

Persecondnews reports that reprieve, however, came for one of the accused, Gbenga, as he was discharged following his guilty plea that he was caught when he went to buy drug for a sick person.