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Clement Adeyi, Osogbo and Bamigbola Gbolagunte, Akure
Fourteen persons were, yesterday, convicted and sentenced to two months imprisonment by an Osun State Magistrate Court for breaching the coronavirus movement restriction order by the government.
The convicts are Adeoye Johnson, Ibrahim Babatunde, Akinloye Lukman, Owolabi Afeez, Hammed Basharu, Akinwande Saheed and Seun Agboola.
Others are Aribidesi Muideen, Sulaimon Ismail, Olaleye Moses, Alade Mayowa, Muniru Bashiru, Sulaiman Basaru and Omodele Titilayo.
The presiding Magistrate, O. A. Ayilara, convicted the accused persons on self-admittance.
Police Prosecutor, Adeoye Kayode, had told the court that the convicts committed the offence on April 8 in Osogbo, the Osun State capital.
Kayode further explained that the convicts flouted the stay at-home-order. He added that the convicts did conduct themselves in a manner likely to cause breach of peace by deliberately failing to comply with the order.
He said the offence was contrary to and punishable under Section 203 and 249(D) of the Criminal Code Cap 34 Vol. Il Laws of Osun State of Nigeria 2002.
The accused persons, however, pleaded guilty to a two-count charge of disobedience to the lockdown regulation and conduct likely to cause breach of peace slammed against them.
Handling down his ruling, Ayilara convicted and sentenced them to two months imprisonment or to pay N5,000 each.
Ondo gives
concession to Christians on Easter Sunday
Ondo State Government has given concession to Christians to worship in their different churches on Easter Sunday.
This is against the of restriction already placed on movement in all parts of the state.
The concession, the government said is to allow Christians worship and celebrate Easter, which is one of the most important festivals in the Christian faith.
Commissioner for Information and Civic Orientation, Donald Ojogo, said the leadership of the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) had written formally and met with the governor to plead for the concession.
The commissioner said: “The state acknowledges concerns expressed in many quarters in respect of the celebration of Easter. This is especially in relation to the last government statement on the sustenance of the anti-COVID-19 measures put in place vis-a vis-the public statement issued by CAN on same.
“Government deems it necessary to clarify that much as it appreciates public concern over this matter, there is no need for any misgivings. As a matter of fact, the position of CAN and the government statement should be seen as mutually inclusive.
“CAN’s statement is explicit enough that government had graciously granted a special relief to enable Christians celebrate Easter Sunday, being one of the most important annual celebrations of the Church.
That is the true position; more so that the word ‘restriction’ advisedly applied to provide the caveat for this special concession in line with crowd control regulations.
“Accordingly, the state government has already communicated to the Ondo State Police Command, this concession granted CAN to, as it were, allow the celebration of Easter Sunday in churches.
“This is, however, without prejudice to all precautionary measures and guidelines earlier put in place to contain the spread of the pandemic as enunciated in government’s earlier statements and as agreed to by CAN leadership.
“For emphasis, there will be no Easter Retreat (Good Friday programmes) or the Jumat service gatherings on Friday or ‘Gallilee’ on Monday. The ban on all social, political and religious gatherings continues afterwards, until further notice,” he said.
…Begins distribution of food
Governor Gboyega Oyetola of Osun State, yesterday, flagged off the distribution of 6,020 bags of 50g rice to the needy to mitigate the hardship occasioned by lockdown to contain the spread of coronavirus.
Oyetola said at the ceremony in Osogbo that the rice would be distributed to poor people and the needy in the state through door-to-door channel.
The governor noted that welfare of people in the state was the reason he was in government.
Oyetola said he would do everything possible to satisfy the interest of the people during the period of the lockdown.
“You will all recall that, as part of the measures to mitigate the inherent effects of the lockdown on our people, we promised to distribute palliatives to them.
“We also constituted a 21-man Food and Relief Committee to mobilise resources for the procurement of more palliatives to support the government’s effort.
“This flag off is a partial fulfilment of that promise and the pledge I made to the people at a press conference three days ago to provide the promised palliatives very soon.
“This is the intervention of the state government as we await those of the committee which will follow very soon.
“We shall respond responsibly to your needs as we pull through this period together,” he said.
The governor said the Cote D’Ivorie returnees at the isolation centre in Ejigbo were responding to treatment.
Oyetola said it was his hope that the coronavirus patients would recover soon to join their families.
The governor had, on March 29, announced a total lock-down of the state effective from midnight of March 31 to stop the spread of coronavirus.
There are 20 confirmed coronavirus cases in Osun as announced by the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC).
