The police in Lagos State have relocated checkpoints to ease the movement of essential service workers during the ongoing curfew to prevent the spread of coronavirus.
The checkpoints are now located close to u-turns to enable vehicles the opportunity to turn back if prevented from going forward.
The decision was on the order of the Commissioner of Police in the state, Hakeem Odumosu.
Bala Elkana, spokesman of the police command, explained the situation that informed the decision.
His words: “On 4/5/2020, the Commissioner of Police Lagos State, CP Hakeem Odumosu in company of other senior Police Officers visited different police check points in the state to monitor compliance with curfew order. The monitoring team noticed that some essential service workers were trapped in the gridlock that build up due to thorough checks, especially on trucks likely to have large number of persons concealed for interstates travel. It took a lot of efforts for the CP and his team to create access routes for those on essential duties to pass.
“The observation made by Commissioner of Police and his team, informed the decision to relocate the enforcement check points to more specious and conducive locations. The new locations have u-turns very close to easily turn back vehicles that are not on essential duties thereby paving way for essential service workers to easily move.
“According to Presidential guidelines issued, essential service workers include hospitals and all related medical establishments as well as organisations in health care related manufacturing and distribution. Commercial establishments such as: (a) food processing, distribution and retail companies; (b) petroleum distribution and retail entities; (c) power generation, transmission and distribution companies; and (d) private security companies are also exempted. Although these establishments are exempted, access will be restricted and monitored. Workers in telecommunication companies, broadcasters, print and electronic media staff who can prove they are unable to work from home are also exempted.”
Elkana also disclosed that the monitoring team moved round on Tuesday to monitor the situation.
The Commissioner of Police, he said, expressed his satisfaction with the improvements noticed, as well as, the high level of compliance with the curfew order by residents.
He thanked the people of Lagos for their cooperation and understanding, and enjoined residents to continue to support the Police and other law enforcement agencies in the battle against COVID-19.
In a related development Odumosu and his counterpart in Ogun State visited checkpoints jointly manned by Lagos and Ogun states in boundary communities, to replicate the measures adopted for easy movements of essential service workers.
Security, he said, had been tightened around the boundary communities to prevent non essential interstates movements.
