COVID-19: Kogi sets up mobile courts to try violators of Kabba/Bunu lockdown

Kogi State government has set up a mobile court to try residents who violate a lockdown imposed on Kabba-Bunu local government area, the origin of its two confirmed cases of Covid-19 announced by the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control.

The establishment of the mobile courts was announced by the Chief Judge of the State, Justice Nasiru Ajanah through a statement by the acting Chief Registrar of the High Court of Justice of the State, Mr. Bamidele Aina on Wednesday in Lokoja.

“Notice is hereby given this 3rd day of June 2020 to the public that the Hon. Chief Judge of Kogi State, Hon. Justice Nasiru Ajanah, CON, pursuant to the order of Kogi State Government locking down Kabba/Bunu Local Government Area due to the COVID-19 pandemic has constituted Mobile Courts for the trial of offenders under the Quarantine Act as applicable in Kogi state” the statement said.

According to the statement, mobile courts which are at magisterial level are to commence sitting immediately and would sit throughout the duration of the two weeks lockdown declared by the state pending further directives.

The Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) announced on 27th May that Kogi recorded two index cases from Kabba/Bunu local government area.

However, the State government had questioned the veracity of what it referred to as NCDC’s “dubious” claim insisting that the state is still COVID-19 free.

Governor Yahaya Bello went ahead to lockdown the affected area as a precautionary measures because of “obvious move to spread the virus” in the state.

He noted that the lock down would enable the state government to carry out house-to-house test of all residents and forestall infiltration of the area by “agents of those who a keen on escalating” the disease in the state.