COVID-19: Enforcement team arrests impersonators, shuts bars

The Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA) Ministerial Task Force on the enforcement of COVID-19 restrictions has arrested eight persons for violating the 08:00pm to 06:00am curfew imposed on the territory as part of measures to curb the spread of the virus.

Among those arrested were persons impersonating army officers. City News learnt that the violators who were arrested at Kubwa and Dutsen Alhaji suburbs of the FCT would be arraigned before the mobile court set up for COVID-19 restrictions violations.

The Chairman of the task force, Ikharo Attah, who addressed journalists after the Wednesday night operation, said the team accosted the operator of a drinking bar at Second Gate, Dutsen Alhaji, who claimed to be a soldier, but that upon interrogation, he admitted that he lied in order to evade arrest.

At Dutse Makaranta, the team shut down a bar which had customers a few minutes after 10:00pm.

Attah said the manager of the bar also claimed that it was owned by a Major, serving in the army and that he decided to operate late into the curfew hours because of the occupation of the owner.

Attah lamented that few persons did not understand the purpose of the curfew, saying among those arrested was a young woman who claimed she was going to visit a friend after 09:00pm.

He added that two bricklayers were also caught while returning from Bauchi State and going to Bwari, despite the inter-state travel ban.

He, therefore, appealed “to other enforcement officers across the country to close ranks and halt inter-state travelling which seems to be going on massively despite the presidential ban.”