Covid-19: Journalists, other essential workers in FCT held on Old Karu Road

(ABUJA)

Scores of workers on essentiall duties in the Federal Capital Territory FCT were on Tuesday night held by soldiers manning a check-point at the Karu Market on the Old Karu Road, on the grounds of breaching the presidential curfew.

The soldiers were said to have mounted the roadblock, hours before the 8p.m curfew time, forcing motorists to move at snail speed.

The need to restriction vehicular and human movement is necessitated by the Coronavrus spreading the states of the federation, except kogi and Cross River as at the time of this report and the need to spread the pandemic disease in the country.

Those who were not lucky to have passed the checkpoint before 8p m were consequently held hostage. However, those who were on foot were allowed passage.

Among those affected were journalists, health workers and paramilitary personnel. As of 11p.m, they were still being held and told to either sleep in their cars or leave their cars and trek to their various homes.

One of those affected, a journalist, Kayode Sanni Arewa Fadare told Duaglobalnews that the soldiers refused all entreaties to allow them pass.

He said: “I got to this checkpoint before 7:20p.m. Ordinarily, I should have passed in less than five minutes but the soldiers shut most lanes on the road and left only one lane for motorists. I couldn’t even get to where they were standing before 8p.m and so, they decided to hold all of us here.

“There are health workers and others here. I, along with a radio journalists tried to approach the soldiers and explain to them but they told us that they had not been told that essential workers had any exemption.

“I told them about the guidelines set out by the Presidential Taskforce PTF on Covid-19 but they asked us to leave them alone. We had to leave them when they were becoming unnecessarily agitated”.

One of the health workers Rhoda Emmanuel, said there was no way she would abandon her car on the road and trek home.

“My house is not a working distance from here. The road is dangerous too. How am I supposed to leave my car here and walk home?”, she queried.

When contacted, Director, Information, Office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation OSGF, Willie Bassey, expressed shock at the development.

He said the attention of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Mr Boss Mustapha, who is also the Chairman, PTF had earlier been drawn to the issue,adding that appropriate reminders were issued to the agencies.

He promised to update Mustapha of the latest development.

PTF has consistently asked security operatives to respect the exemptions as set out in its protocols.

It therefore urged them to stop harassing journalists and other essential duty workers as they belong to the class of those exempted from the curfew imposed on the country.

On whether Journalists and vendors are not considered as essential services, Bassey I believe that they are because whatever we do here, if you do not report it, then the news item will not get out there.

“Advertisement we carried on newspapers, radio and televisions that are supposed to enhance and equip our people with knowledge and information so that they can take informed decisions, would not go out there

” So, I believe that anything related to the Press is considered as essential services for the purpose of allowing you free passage.

The Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, specifically lamented the reported harassment of journalists in Lagos, saying he would take up the matter with the Police Command.

He said; “On the issue of journalists being prevented from doing their work in Lagos, I will take up the issue with the Commissioner of Police in Lagos, because my understanding and which has worked so far is that, anybody with a valid identification as a journalist is allowed to move about unmolested”.

Also speaking on the issue, the National Coordinator of the Presidential Taskforce on Covid-19, Dr Sani Aliyu expressed shock at the development.