The Delta State government has reiterated that her borders across the state remained closed to all commuters including other road users.
The State Deputy Governor, Deacon Kingsley Otuaro who briefed journalists in Patani, the border between Delta State and Bayelsa State and at Ugbenu-Oghara, in Ethiope West Local Government Areas, said the dangers posed by the coronavirus pandemic can not be toyed with, with any arbitrary moment of people in and out of the state.
“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 of the South Eastern border of Bayelsa, Rivers and others the level to which they have compiled to the lockdown order of our land borders.
“I want to use this medium to reiterate that the broadcast of His Excellency, the Governor of Delta State yesterday, primarily conveyed that it was on the easing of the lockdown and that indeed does not affect the hitherto lockdown of the inter state borders.
“Inter state borders hitherto lockdown, remains lockdown for another two weeks. We need to make this clarification so that travellers from the Eastern States does not misconstrue the state wide broadcast made by His Excellency.
“The ease of the lockdown does not in anyway 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 can not afford to toy with the gains we have made in ordering for a lock down.” Otuaro said.
The Deputy Governor stressed that any commuter who breach the law will be sent back to where ever they are coming from except only those on essential services who 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 Golley, members Borders Enforcement Committees including security agencies for doing good jobs in protecting the borders points since the lockdown started.