By Brave Dickson
Police in Rivers State have started using taxis as cell for violators of the state government’s lockdown order.
The police in the state started this shortly after Governor Nyesom Wike announced a total lockdown of some parts of Port Harcourt.
In his state-wide broadcast, the governor declared the areas to be affected by the total lockdown order as follows:
Creek road, Prison junction, Nembe waterside, Cultural Centre, Yam Zone and Ahoada Street.
Others are; Diobu area, Education bus stop, Kalabari by Odi Street, Afikpo Street, Gambia Street, the entire Ikoku Spare parts zone, Rivers State University roundabout, and Abali Park under the flyover (both descending and ascending).
While enforcing the total lockdown directive to contain the spread of the COVID-19 in the state, the police on Monday detained some alleged violators in a taxi from morning till night at the Timber Street of the Diobu axis of Port Harcourt.
The Paramount Ruler of Egi Women in Ogba Egbema/Ndoni Local Government Area of the state, Queen Adanma told our correspondent that the incident occurred on her street.
The queen said: “Since morning till tonight, the police have refused to release the people they arrested and detained in that taxi.
“I even went there to plead for the release of those the police have detained in that taxi but they refused to release them.
“The police had also seized their phones saying that they violated the restriction of movement order.”
The traditional ruler also wondered why the police have decided to convert taxi into cell for the purpose of detaining alleged violators of the total lockdown order.
