Adetutu Folasade-Koyi, Romanus Ugwu, Uche Usim, Juliana Taiwo-Obalonye, Molly Kilete, James Ojo, Joseph Inokotong, Walter Ukaegbu, Paulinus Aidoghie, Fred Itua, Fred Ezeh, Okwe Obi, Samuel Bello, Charity Nwakaudu and Benjamin Babine, Abuja
Abuja was literally a ghost city on Tuesday, being the first of the 14-day lockdown of the Federal Capital Territory as a containment strategy for the rampaging COVID-19 pandemic.
Commercial activities were grounded and many roads deserted in compliance with the presidential order.
Visible on major roads were hooded security operatives who manned strategic spots to ensure that only essential services providers were allowed to move.
The Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Police Commissioner, Bala Ciroma, led a team of security operatives to monitor compliance and deal decisively with erring residents.
In Kugbo, soldiers manning some checkpoints were seen conducting security checks on motorists before granting them access into the city.
Aside the security search, motorists and their passengers were asked to identify themselves.
Impatient motorists who could not stand the huge traffic as a result of the security checkpoint stubbornly drove against the traffic, but got arrested by the task force team.
Some motorists who converted their private vehicles for commercial purposes were arrested and their passengers asked to disembark.
The police commissioner in an interview with Daily Sun, expressed satisfaction with the compliance level by residents on the first day and expressed hope that the situation would improve in days ahead.
On the opening of some markets in the satellite towns, Ciroma, said; “we will get to these markets and if they are not selling food items, then we will know what to do”.
On the number of persons arrested so far for violating the presidential order, he said a definite figure would be determined at the end of Tuesday.
Also the Director, Road Traffic Services, Aliyu Bodinga, expressed disappointment at the level of compliance by residents and said that the team was doing everything possible to enforce the order.
In all the areas visited, journalists were seen doing their jobs; just as soldiers blocked all the entry and exit points into the FCT.
Around the Kuje axis, military men detained motorists for hours at some checkpoints. There were clashes between some military men and Customs personnel.
Although Daily Sun could not immediately determine what led to the clash, a Customs personnel was brutalised in the end.
Herders carried on as if there was no presidential order on movement restriction.
From Kubwa to Jikwoyi, Nyanya to Kuje, herdsmen moved freely with their cows, sheep and goats, devouring any green vegetation in sight.
In various parts of Abuja, commuters were stranded as motorists did not want to risk flouting the lockdown order to be on the road.
Along major roads, uniformed police, complemented by traffic wardens, officers of the Federal Road Safety Corps, and the National Security and Civil Defence Corps, dotted the landscape.
Roads around the Federal Secretariat were blocked with police vans and officers were on the road, and ensured that only those on essential services were allowed free movement to their destinations.
Security agencies converged on the Eagle Square, complete with ambulances.
Commercial buses stayed off the roads and residents kept mostly indoors.
Commercial motorcyclists (okada riders) in some neighborhoods in the capital were simply not bothered with the lockdown order. They ferried willing commuters to and from some neighborhood markets.
Few Okada riders made it to the major roads but were apprehended by policemen who either turned them back or ordered their passengers to disembark and go on a long, lonely walk.
Some commuters were seen at bus stops, with no buses in sight.
Some residents, however, braved the odds; in search of food.
Assistant Superintendent of Police, John Idaho, told Daily Sun that some residents of Lokogoma, begged to be allowed to go out to “buy food.”
Although the airport road, from Galadima junction, down to the city gate, through to the federal secretariat, was free, not manned by security agencies, their presence was felt at the Three Arms Zone; from morning till late afternoon.
There were also clusters of policemen and FRSC officials at major intersections within the capital territory.
Vendors displayed their wares for absent customers.
Some neighborhood markets opened for customers. They openly displayed their wares; pepper, fruits, yams and others. Sachet water sellers were also not left out.
Majorly, abuja roads were quiet; while hitherto bubbly neighborhoods went cold.
Some filling stations were open but most were shut. For those who opened, there were no customers to sell to.
Construction sites within the city were also shut.
More so, businesses around Nyanya, Karu, Jikwoyi, Kurudu, Orozo and Karshi, were totally shut.
However, pharmacies, hospitals and other essential services providers opened for business.
To enforce the order around the aforementioned areas, a bunch of cops, assisted by the Abuja Environmental Protection Board (AEPB) and other Federal and State traffic officials were fully deployed.
When they arrived Kurudu at about 1:20pm, they chased away roadside traders and others defying the order.
For unknown reasons, they did not extend their enforcement beyond Kurudu.
It was partial compliance in Gudu axis of Abuja, as some residents were seen moving about without any inhibition.
A security personnel who spoke with Daily Sun on the condition of anonymity, said law enforcers allowed the situation because residents gave pitiful reasons to be on the road.
It was the same scenario at the Farmer’s Market, Maitama were traders were seen carrying out their usual transactions. But they lamented lack of patronage due to the lockdown.
“Everybody is at home now. We are still having shortage of water, especially refill water. The company said the workers are not there to produce the water. So, it is water that is our challenge now,” a trader lamented.
At the Jabi area, Daily Sun saw a team comprising the Department of State Services (DSS), Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC), Vehicle Inspection Officers (VIO), Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC), the Abuja Environmental Protection Board (AEPB), and Air Force personnel with various items seized from defiant residents.
At the Karu axis, there was little or no compliance with the lockdown directive of the Federal Government.
Businesses, mostly grocery stores and salons opened for business.
Artisans and masons were seen on a building site totally engrossed in their work.
Motorcyclists leveraged on the weak enforcement to make brisk business as they ferried passengers to various destinations.
At the popular Abacha road, there was a roadblock manned by policemen who quizzed motorists before allowing those with genuine reasons to pass.
Daily Sun observed that those who were not within the essential services bracket had to bribe their way through.
One of the police personnel who spoke to Daily Sun said they were not given hand sanitizers, hand gloves or facemasks.
“Madam Journalist, as you are doing your job, let those in authority know that we have not been given sanitizers, hand gloves nor face masks. We are looking for those things ourselves. We do not want to contract coronavirus.”
In Kubwa, residents stayed indoors in compliance with the stay-at-home order.
However, despite the lockdown, vehicles and commercial motorcycle operators were seen driving freely by midday.
To guarantee total compliance, security agents barricaded some sections of the Gado Nasko road, the busiest road in Kubwa.
Food vendors and pharmaceutical stores located along Kubwa Phase 3 and Phase 4 were opened for business. Also, the vegetable market located by Phase 4 mosque, along Gado Nasko road, was opened. Few residents were also seen moving along the road.
At the road adjacent to Queens Plaza, Phase 4, some youths were seen collecting tolls before anyone was granted access.
Around the Kubwa village market, commercial motorcyclists and tricyclists went about their normal businesses until security operatives arrived and flushed them out of the streets.
In most areas visited, traders who opened for business lamented that they had ran out of stock.
A grocer in Kubwa, Mrs Sharon Jones said; “The presidential order allows food sellers and those along the food value chain to operate within this two-week lockdown. But transporters are not allowed. So, how do we restock? Some of us get supplies almost daily but now, we can’t. What are we going to sell in the next two weeks? The roads are empty. Those processing these items are not going to work. Hunger will kill people before the coronavirus itself”.
John Okrika, a provision store owner foresees a mass revolt soonest.
“People are going to invade the streets in search of daily bread. There is no way they can stay at home for two weeks. Never!”.
Various banks and money agents ran skeletal services.
Some others didn’t not open at all, save for their Automated Teller Machines (ATMs).
On Tuesday morning, Zenith Bank in Dutse was totally deserted. It was a shadow of itself.
…Banks run skeletal services
…We’re out of stock.. traders; herders defy order
From Adetutu Folasade-Koyi, Romanus Ugwu, Uche Usim, Juliana Taiwo-Obalonye, Molly Kilete, James Ojo, Joseph Inokotong, Walter Ukaegbu, Paulinus Aidoghie, Fred Itua, Fred Ezeh, Okwe Obi, Samuel Bello, Charity Nwakaudu and Benjamin Babine, Abuja
Abuja was literally a ghost city on Tuesday, being the first of the 14-day lockdown of the Federal Capital Territory as a containment strategy for the rampaging COVID-19 pandemic.
Commercial activities were grounded and many roads deserted in compliance with the presidential order.
Visible on major roads were hooded security operatives who manned strategic spots to ensure that only essential services providers were allowed to move.
The Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Police Commissioner, Bala Ciroma, led a team of security operatives to monitor compliance and deal decisively with erring residents.
In Kugbo, soldiers manning some checkpoints were seen conducting security checks on motorists before granting them access into the city.
Aside the security search, motorists and their passengers were asked to identify themselves.
Impatient motorists who could not stand the huge traffic as a result of the security checkpoint stubbornly drove against the traffic, but got arrested by the task force team.
Some motorists who converted their private vehicles for commercial purposes were arrested and their passengers asked to disembark.
The police commissioner in an interview with Daily Sun, expressed satisfaction with the compliance level by residents on the first day and expressed hope that the situation would improve in days ahead.
On the opening of some markets in the satellite towns, Ciroma, said; “we will get to these markets and if they are not selling food items, then we will know what to do”.
On the number of persons arrested so far for violating the presidential order, he said a definite figure would be determined at the end of Tuesday.
Also the Director, Road Traffic Services, Aliyu Bodinga, expressed disappointment at the level of compliance by residents and said that the team was doing everything possible to enforce the order.
In all the areas visited, journalists were seen doing their jobs; just as soldiers blocked all the entry and exit points into the FCT.
Around the Kuje axis, military men detained motorists for hours at some checkpoints. There were clashes between some military men and Customs personnel.
Although Daily Sun could not immediately determine what led to the clash, a Customs personnel was brutalised in the end.
Herders carried on as if there was no presidential order on movement restriction.
From Kubwa to Jikwoyi, Nyanya to Kuje, herdsmen moved freely with their cows, sheep and goats, devouring any green vegetation in sight.
In various parts of Abuja, commuters were stranded as motorists did not want to risk flouting the lockdown order to be on the road.
Along major roads, uniformed police, complemented by traffic wardens, officers of the Federal Road Safety Corps, and the National Security and Civil Defence Corps, dotted the landscape.
Roads around the Federal Secretariat were blocked with police vans and officers were on the road, and ensured that only those on essential services were allowed free movement to their destinations.
Security agencies converged on the Eagle Square, complete with ambulances.
Commercial buses stayed off the roads and residents kept mostly indoors.
Commercial motorcyclists (okada riders) in some neighborhoods in the capital were simply not bothered with the lockdown order. They ferried willing commuters to and from some neighborhood markets.
Few Okada riders made it to the major roads but were apprehended by policemen who either turned them back or ordered their passengers to disembark and go on a long, lonely walk.
Some commuters were seen at bus stops, with no buses in sight.
Some residents, however, braved the odds; in search of food.
Assistant Superintendent of Police, John Idaho, told Daily Sun that some residents of Lokogoma, begged to be allowed to go out to “buy food.”
Although the airport road, from Galadima junction, down to the city gate, through to the federal secretariat, was free, not manned by security agencies, their presence was felt at the Three Arms Zone; from morning till late afternoon.
There were also clusters of policemen and FRSC officials at major intersections within the capital territory.
Vendors displayed their wares for absent customers.
Some neighborhood markets opened for customers. They openly displayed their wares; pepper, fruits, yams and others. Sachet water sellers were also not left out.
Majorly, abuja roads were quiet; while hitherto bubbly neighborhoods went cold.
Some filling stations were open but most were shut. For those who opened, there were no customers to sell to.
Construction sites within the city were also shut.
More so, businesses around Nyanya, Karu, Jikwoyi, Kurudu, Orozo and Karshi, were totally shut.
However, pharmacies, hospitals and other essential services providers opened for business.
To enforce the order around the aforementioned areas, a bunch of cops, assisted by the Abuja Environmental Protection Board (AEPB) and other Federal and State traffic officials were fully deployed.
When they arrived Kurudu at about 1:20pm, they chased away roadside traders and others defying the order.
For unknown reasons, they did not extend their enforcement beyond Kurudu.
It was partial compliance in Gudu axis of Abuja, as some residents were seen moving about without any inhibition.
A security personnel who spoke with Daily Sun on the condition of anonymity, said law enforcers allowed the situation because residents gave pitiful reasons to be on the road.
It was the same scenario at the Farmer’s Market, Maitama were traders were seen carrying out their usual transactions. But they lamented lack of patronage due to the lockdown.
“Everybody is at home now. We are still having shortage of water, especially refill water. The company said the workers are not there to produce the water. So, it is water that is our challenge now,” a trader lamented.
At the Jabi area, Daily Sun saw a team comprising the Department of State Services (DSS), Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC), Vehicle Inspection Officers (VIO), Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC), the Abuja Environmental Protection Board (AEPB), and Air Force personnel with various items seized from defiant residents.
At the Karu axis, there was little or no compliance with the lockdown directive of the Federal Government.
Businesses, mostly grocery stores and salons opened for business.
Artisans and masons were seen on a building site totally engrossed in their work.
Motorcyclists leveraged on the weak enforcement to make brisk business as they ferried passengers to various destinations.
At the popular Abacha road, there was a roadblock manned by policemen who quizzed motorists before allowing those with genuine reasons to pass.
Daily Sun observed that those who were not within the essential services bracket had to bribe their way through.
One of the police personnel who spoke to Daily Sun said they were not given hand sanitizers, hand gloves or facemasks.
“Madam Journalist, as you are doing your job, let those in authority know that we have not been given sanitizers, hand gloves nor face masks. We are looking for those things ourselves. We do not want to contract coronavirus.”
In Kubwa, residents stayed indoors in compliance with the stay-at-home order.
However, despite the lockdown, vehicles and commercial motorcycle operators were seen driving freely by midday.
To guarantee total compliance, security agents barricaded some sections of the Gado Nasko road, the busiest road in Kubwa.
Food vendors and pharmaceutical stores located along Kubwa Phase 3 and Phase 4 were opened for business. Also, the vegetable market located by Phase 4 mosque, along Gado Nasko road, was opened. Few residents were also seen moving along the road.
At the road adjacent to Queens Plaza, Phase 4, some youths were seen collecting tolls before anyone was granted access.
Around the Kubwa village market, commercial motorcyclists and tricyclists went about their normal businesses until security operatives arrived and flushed them out of the streets.
In most areas visited, traders who opened for business lamented that they had ran out of stock.
A grocer in Kubwa, Mrs Sharon Jones said; “The presidential order allows food sellers and those along the food value chain to operate within this two-week lockdown. But transporters are not allowed. So, how do we restock? Some of us get supplies almost daily but now, we can’t. What are we going to sell in the next two weeks? The roads are empty. Those processing these items are not going to work. Hunger will kill people before the coronavirus itself”.
John Okrika, a provision store owner foresees a mass revolt soonest.
“People are going to invade the streets in search of daily bread. There is no way they can stay at home for two weeks. Never!”.
Various banks and money agents ran skeletal services.
Some others didn’t not open at all, save for their Automated Teller Machines (ATMs).
On Tuesday morning, Zenith Bank in Dutse was totally deserted. It was a shadow of itself.
