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Adewale Sanyaolu
The two weeks lockdown in Lagos announced to contain the spread of coronavirus appears to be failing as law enforcement officers deployed to enforce the directive seem to have compromised.
Findings by Daily Sun in some parts of Lagos revealed that the directive is beginning to fall apart as both private and commercial motorists as well as other businessess are having a field -day from Ikorodu to Ketu without any security checks in place to restrict movement.
The story was the same for commercial bus operators who plied the road without let or hindrance, signifying a breakdown of social distancing directive of the Federal Government.
At the popular Ketu food market, consumers were seen in their numbers trooping out of market in a very busy and rowdy manner that ignored the precautions of social distancing and the use of masks and hand gloves.
Some lawless motorists were also seen plying restricted Bus Rapid Transit(BRT) corridors, without law enforcement agents in sight to check their excesses.
At Ogba near Ikeja, the Lagos state capital, traders and transporters operated toward the afternoon and evening . At the crowd at Ikeja bus-stop and other adjoining street, revealed that law officers assigned to monitor the situtaion have lost control of the situation as commercial activities went on unhindered.
In Ikotun, a suburb of Lagos, youths trooped to the streets in their numbers, for various games with some playing football while the market operated without hindrance.
At the Iju Ishaga area, operators of tricycle were also out for business, conveying passengers to and from Abule-Egba and other locations.
Those who spoke to Daily Sun expressed disappointment at the conduct of Lagosians and law enforcement agents who have failed in their responsibility of either arresting or enforcing the strict directive of government on zero movement of unauthorised persons.
They worried that should the situation go on unchecked, it portends grave danger to other law- abiding citizens as the state may witness further spike in coronavirus cases in the coming weeks.
Daily Sun had on Friday, reported how traders defied the Federal Government’s directive on opening hours across the State.
A visit by Daily Sun to the popular food market in Oke-Odo market in Agbado Oke-Odo Local Council Development Authority (LCDA), last Thursday, showed that the leadership in the market did not comply with the directive.
Our correspondent who visited the market noticed very poor sanitary condition with both buyers and sellers failing to adhere to social distancing while those trading in food stuffs were neither with nose masks nor hand gloves, a situation that could make the market more vulnerable to coronavirus spread. The same scenario also played out at the Iju Ishaga market in Ifako Ijaiye Local Government, while the popular Ojuwoye Market devised a strategy of opening for business from 6pm.
But as early as 7am, the Oke-Odo Market was already bubbling with commercial activities with perishable food items and fruits flooding already the market.
Not even the absence of commercial vehicles could deter consumers as most of them trekked from various destinations to carry out both buying and selling at the market,
The stretch of the expressway from Abule-Abule to Oke-Odo on the ever busy Lagos-Abeokuta expressway saw large turnout of people making their way down to the market to make purchases of food items.
At the Iju- Ishaga market, it was more like a normal day with no restriction on market activities.
Some of the residents who spoke to Daily Sun lamented the inability of law enforcement agencies, to curb trading activities, especially in this period of coronavirus pandemic.
