COVID-19 curfew: Essential workers groan over police harassment

Essential workers in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) have lamented constant harassment by security operatives, particularly policemen, during the curfew hours.

Some affected journalists and health workers told Daily Trust that police officers enforcing the curfew order maintained that essential workers were not exempted from the prohibition of movement.

Meanwhile, President Muhammadu Buhari had declared a curfew from 08:00pm and 06:00am from May 4, while easing the lockdown, saying, “All movements will be prohibited during this period except for essential services.”

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However, during the first few days of the curfew, journalists and health practitioners spent several hours at roadblocks while returning home or going to their work places.

Journalists, health workers denied movement, sleep in offices

Daily Trust reports that some essential workers spent more than three hours at roadblocks while others passed the night with friends or at their offices.

An employee of a government-owned broadcasting station, who prefers anonymity, was stopped at a roadblock at Kurudu on the first day of the curfew.

The broadcast station’s vehicle was not allowed to go through hence she had to pass the night at her friend’s house nearby.

A medical doctor who practices in Mararaba, a community in Nasarawa State, a few kilometres to the FCT, but resides in the city centre, Abuja, said he was harassed by policemen while returning home at about 12:00am.

The doctor said, “The policemen told me I had no right to be outside at that time.

“I pleaded that I was on essential duty and that my hospital was at Mararaba, but they said they only recognised essential workers during the lockdown and not during the curfew.

“One of them threatened to flog me for violating the curfew.

“I had to part with N3,000 before they let me go.”

A media practitioner who lives in Mararaba said despite presenting exemption passes and identity cards, he was delayed for over an hour at the Kugbo military checkpoint.

He said, “I waited for over an hour and there was no hope in sight.

“With the queue spanning nearly one kilometre, some people began to devise ways through the hills where the mechanics and youths of Kugbo made a bush path.

“There was another huge traffic on this diversion and it took another one hour to get to Karu where I continued my drive home, but I had to part with N200 for the two checkpoints the youths mounted on the hills as reward for their ‘ingenious’ aid.”

Another man at the Kugbo checkpoint, Moses Bello, said a fire service truck that was heading to the city centre from Nyanya was not allowed passage initially despite pleas from the driver that he and his colleagues were on assignment.

Bello said, “That one almost turned into a fight as the truck driver and his crew were not allowed. It took nearly one hour before the fire truck was released.”

A concerned motorist, Kenneth Onuh, said, “It has been frustrating at Kugbo since Monday, May 4, when the lockdown was partially lifted and curfew imposed.

“I once saw vehicles turning and following the one-way as they returned to Abuja City to pass the night after the occupants had waited for over an hour without being allowed passage at the checkpoint.”

Meanwhile, a police officer at the Nyanya Phase 4 axis maintained that, “We are acting on an order by the FCT Police Command. We did not bring ourselves to this checkpoint.

“And once we identify that you are an essential worker, we allow you to drive through, but not for commercial vehicles plying the Nasarawa route.”

They are exempted from curfew – FG

The Federal Government has said journalists and other media workers were on essential duties and thus part of those allowed to move during the restriction of movement due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

The Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF) and Chairman, Presidential Task Force (PTF) on COVID-19, Boss Mustapha, said this on Wednesday in Abuja at the 26th joint national briefing of the committee.

Mr. Mustapha said journalists were rendering essential services; flattening the curve of COVID-19 and should not in any way be inhibited from rendering this service.

He said, “Journalists are part of the essential services, because, whatever we do here, if you don’t report it then the news item will not get out to the population. The adverts we carry on radio and television are supposed to enhance and equip our people with knowledge and information so that they can make informed decisions not to go out there. Anything related to the press is considered an essential service.”

On medical professionals facing a similar challenge, the SGF said their issue would equally be looked into.

The National Coordinator of the PTF on COVID-19, Dr. Sani Aliyu, said, “Of course journalists are exempted. I am surprised that you are having issues. We will release specific clarifications. We are meeting with security agencies on Friday and we will make it clear that people on essential duties are exempted from the curfew”.

Lawyers have said the harassment of essential services workers, if proven, would amount to insubordination against a lawful order and could be penalised by law.

A lawyer, Obioma Ezenwobodo, said by the presidential directive and the COVID-19 regulation, essential services workers were exempted from restrictions.

Ezenwobodo, therefore, said, “Any form of harassment or restriction negates the fight against the virus and is also disastrous to us all.”

Another lawyer, Hameed Ajibola Jimoh, said harassing essential workers would amount to insubordination and a criminal offense under Section 152 of the Penal Code Act of the FCT (2007) as it amounts to disobedience to an order duly promulgated since such worker has been exempted by the executive order made by the president of the federation; and may be criminal, under the applicable criminal law of a state, the executive order having been duly made by the state’s governor.

Jimoh explained that, “Such harassment is likely to amount to a violation of such worker’s fundamental right to dignity of the human person for which such worker may seek remedy in a court of law to enforce his right and to restrict such officer or person from any further harassment, and is entitled to damages if claimed and proven.”

He added that, “The act of harassment may likely negate the objective of the war against COVID-19 since it might affect the state, should those essential workers refuse to work for fear of harassment.”

No memo against movement of essential workers – Police

Reacting to the allegations, the spokesman of the FCT Police Command, DSP Anjuguri Manzah, said there was no memo issued by the FCT Commissioner of Police barring essential workers’ movement during the curfew.

However, he said the Commissioner of Police gave explicit directives to Area Commanders, Divisional Police Officers (DPOs) and all police officers on duty for the curfew enforcement to allow essential workers to move about within the curfew period.

He explained that the purpose of the curfew which was to restrict movement within the period would be defeated if policemen allowed anyone to move about without proper identification, and that all the essential workers needed to do was to properly identify themselves.

He said Paragraph 2 of the statement issued by the command earlier in the week read in part, “…movement of persons will not be allowed within this stipulated time. However, essential services providers, especially medical personnel, who may be on duty at such hours will be considered.”

The spokesman reiterated the command’s appreciation of the critical role of journalists and medical personnel in the fight against the COVID-19 pandemic.