Emmanuel Adeyemi, Lokoja
As the total lockdown imposed on Kabba-Bunu local government area by Kogi State government entered  its third day as a result of COVID-19 outbreak in area, the Obaro of Kabba, Oba Solomon Owoniyi has passionately appealled to the state government to relax the measure , saying within 24 hours of its regime, farmers in  the area were losing  their farm produce to the herdsmen.
The royal father who made the appeal on Thursday at his residence in Kabba lamented that farming which is the source of livelihood of his people has been destroyed by herdsmen as people were lockdown at home.
According to him “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 their daily income.
“We can not survive the 14 days lockdown as extra 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.
“It is high time people should desist from politicising issues in the state. Governoship 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 no body has the mandate of the people to utter statements that are not in line with the peaceful coexistence of the entire district and we don’t want Kabba town to be used as a battle ground to settle scores or political difference,” the royal father said.
He appealed to the state government to assist the people of Kabba with parllitives to cushion the effects of the lockdown.
Speaking , the Commissioner for Information and Communication Mr Kingsley Fanwo who led health workers and journalists to the palace of the monarch, said that the state government declared the total lockdown to enable it conduct contact tracing fcollowing the alleged Covid-19 outbreak in the local government.
He added that the decision to lockdown Kabba and its environ was not aimed at inflicting hardship on the people, but to clear the insinuations made by some indegines that there was Covid-19 in the town.
Meanwhile, there is total compliance with the lockdown as  massive deployment of soldiers and security personnel keep the residents in doors.