By Rodiyah Omotoyosi Mikail
Sir: President Muhammadu Buhari’s signing of the COVID19 Regulations on March 30, pursuant to the powers granted him by Sections 3, 4 and 5 of the Quarantine Act of 1926, has brought about a series of controversies in the country.
The refusal of people to obey the orders and stay in their homes has led to brutalization and harassment by security agencies in the name of enforcing the COVID 19 regulations.
Nigerians need to know that while the government tries to curb the spread of the COVID19 pandemic, their efforts would be useless if the citizens refuse to obey the Quarantine orders regarding the restriction and cessation of movements in the affected areas.
The government, non-governmental organizations need to sensitize people on the need to practice social distancing and stay in their homes to help in battling the pandemic.
It should be emphasised to the people that when there’s a prescribed offence, there must be prescribed punishments too. T
he Quarantine Act, which empowers the president to make these regulations, also in Section 5, prescribed penalties for any persons contravening the Act to be a sum of N200 or a jail term of six months, at the discretion of the presiding magistrate.
The president has, with his COVID 19 regulations sanctioned the law enforcement agencies with the duty of ensuring strict adherence to the provisions of the said regulation.
This should be the responsibility of the Police force and it is surprising, albeit not shocking, to find members of the Nigerian Army prowling the streets instead.
It is also to be emphasized that the primary duty of the Nigerian Armed Forces is to follow the constitution, maintain the territorial integrity of Nigeria, defend the country from external aggression, protect the country’s borders, restore order if needed and in cases of insurrection, perform any other duties mentioned in the National Assembly’s Act or more importantly in this case, as directed by the president.
Unsurprisingly, the Nigerian Army seem to have taken to this opportunity to hone their harassment skills. They have, as usual, failed to exercise their powers constitutionally.
Or how else can one explain the inhuman treatment of said offenders by the law enforcement agencies, especially the Nigerian Army?
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Interestingly though, the Nigerian Police seem to be ready to curtail any infringement of human right as shown by the actions of the Inspector General of police, Mr Mohammed Adamu, who ensured that the group of policemen recently exposed for the brutalization of some traders in Lagos, were promptly identified and arrested for prosecution.
The authorities need to understand that bullying and harassing citizens only diverts their attention from the urgent need for them to remain in their homes to indignantly going out to prove that they can evade the law enforcement agencies, thereby defeating the aim of the lockdown.
The president needs to call off the army and let the police carry out their duties, that too constitutionally. Law enforcement agencies should be ordered to follow due process in accosting and arresting offenders.
The law prescribes that offenders be tried in a court presided over by any magistrate and the punishments range from a fine of N200 to a prison term of six months.
Human rights organizations and other concerned bodies should inform the public of their rights which do not cease to exist because they flouted orders. And the army needs to be stopped before a reign of terror descends upon the country.
- Rodiyah Omotoyosi Mikail, Usmanu Danfodiyo University, Sokoto.
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