The Obaro of Kabba, Oba Solomon Owoniyi, has appealed to Kogi State Government to relax the lockdown imposed on Kabba/Bunu, the home local government of the two COVID-19 index cases.
Governor Yahaya Bello had ordered the total lockdown of Kabba, following the announcement of the cases by the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) for COVID-19 infections.
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Bello said the lockdown would enable the State COVID-19 Response Team to carry out house-to-house test amid controversy over the NCDC’s claim.
The Obaro of Kabba said yesterday that the lockdown which has entered the second day is already taking a toll on the people, with farms being encroached upon by herders.
“We are appealing to Governor Yahaya Bello to reconsider the lockdown.
“All the protocol can be observed without total lockdown because within 24 hours of the lockdown, the effect is already telling on my people who live and dwell on daily income.
“We cannot survive the 14 days lockdown as 48 hours will be very devastating to us.
“The exercise should be given a human face in the interest of our innocent citizens who continually attested to the fact that there is no coronavirus in the local government.
The paramount ruler cautioned against the politicisation of the matter by indigenes of Kogi western senatorial district, urging them to be mindful of their utterances.
“It is high time people should desist from politicising issues in the state.
“Governorship election has been conducted and won; this is the time to join hands with the winner to move Kogi State forward in the interest of development.
“The current administration in the state has no enemy in Kogi west and nobody has the mandate of the people to utter statements that are not in line with peaceful coexistence of the entire district.
“We don’t want Kabba town to be used as a battleground to settle scores or political differences,” the royal father said.
Speaking, Commissioner for Information and Communication, Mr Kingsley Fanwo, who led health workers to the palace of the monarch, said that the state government declared the total lockdown to enable it to conduct contact tracing of the alleged COVID-19 outbreak in the local government.
