Coronavirus lockdown: Petrol tankers, food trucks stranded as police close boundary
- The lockdown directive has grounded dozens of petrol tankers and trucks conveying foodstuffs
- This is as a result of the Nigerian police closing the boundary between Ogun and Lagos states
- Earlier, the Lagos-Ibadan expressway was blocked by the officers in line with the restriction of movement
Dozens of tankers and trucks conveying petroleum products and foodstuffs were on Tuesday, March 31, grounded at the boundary between Ogun and Lagos states by the police as a result of the closure of the expressway.
According to Premium Times, the entry into Lagos state was grounded but the exit witnessed slow traffic as the police officers only allowed journalists, medical personnel, and trucks conveying foodstuffs and petroleum products to pass through.
There were barricades at the Berger end of the Lagos-Ibadan expressway which leads to Ogun state as at 9 am.
Abdul Adamu, a tanker driver heading to Lagos to lift diesel for movement to Abuja, narrating his experience, said they had been at the Ogun-Lagos boundary for more than five hours. He further said the police officers who were positioned at the barricade refused to speak to them.
Source: UGC
Adamus said: “We were told in the news that tankers and trucks carrying foodstuffs were not involved [in the lockdown], that is why we moved down here but we are surprised that police are here blocking the road, allowing us not to pass.
“We are calling on the federal government, the Lagos state government, and the Ogun state government to come to our aid because this is getting out of hand.”
A senior police officer who sat in a patrol van parked across the road said the presidential directive was the reason for the blockade.
However, Bala Elkana, the Lagos state police spokesperson, referring to the presidential directive said after the destinations of truck s and tankers are ascertained they would be allowed to move.
The former chairman of the Nigeria Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas Workers (NUPENG), Tokunbo Korodo, on his part expressed hope that the issue would be resolved amicably.
Earlier, Legit.ng reported that the inbound and outbound sections of the Lagos-Ibadan expressway has been blocked by the Nigerian police in line with President Muhammadu Buhari’s lockdown directive.
This move is part of the plans to effectively lock down the Lagos metropolis to curb the spread of the deadly coronavirus.
Recall that the Nigerian leader in his nationwide broadcast ordered that a total lockdown be observed in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Lagos and Ogun states in a bid to combat the virus.
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In a related development, security operatives have taken to the streets to ensure that the lockdown order is obeyed. The Defence Headquarters (DHQ) on Monday, March 30, revealed that the Nigerian Armed Forces are ready to implement the presidential directive.
Maj.-Gen. John Enenche, the coordinator, Defence Media Operations, during a news conference in Abuja, stated that the military was ready to implement all restrictions on movement in line with President Buhari's directive.
He also said that penalty for those who would flaunt the restriction would be handled by the police, adding that military personnel had been adequately trained on how to perform their duties.
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Street gist: President Buhari orders Lagos, Abuja lockdown over Coronavirus; Nigerians react on Legit.ng TV
Source: Legit.ng
