Kaduna sets up mobile courts to prosecute curfew violators

The Kaduna State government has set up mobile courts to summarily prosecute violators of its COVID-19 stay-at-home order.

In a letter to the Chief Registrar of Kaduna State High Court, the Solicitor General, Chris Umar, disclosed that the decision was taken by the State Executive Council to enforce the executive order.

Umar said that magistrates that will preside over the mobile courts have been identified and assigned by the State Ministry of Justice.

He added that the magistrates will be sitting at various locations across the city starting with Kakuri, Kawo, Magajin Gari, Rigasa, Sabon-tasha, Maraban Rido and Rigachikun.

The Solicitor-General noted that the mobile courts will deal with violators summarily without the need for the present cumbersome procedure of taking offenders to court over such violations.

Daily trust reports that the Deputy Governor, Dr Hadiza Balarabe had earlier invoked the 1999 Constitution; Sections 2 and 8 of the Quarantine Act of 1926 and Kaduna State Public Health Law of 1917, to impose a lockdown throughout the state, on March 26.

The Deputy Governor had also threatened to close the two-day weekly window of Tuesdays and Wednesdays that allows residents to re-stock food and threatened to sanction traditional leaders of erring communities if residents continue to violate social distancing and gatherings.