COVID-19: Police uncover eight illegal routes into Kwara

Kwara State Police command says it has uncovered and closed eight illegal land routes created by transporters taking passengers into the state against the COVID-19 restriction of inter-state travels.

Speaking during a meeting with members of the federal government Joint Technical Task Team (JTTT ) on COVID-19 to ease challenges of movement of food and agricultural inputs in the state, the state commissioner of Police, Kayode Egbetokun, proposed tougher sanctions to the state government to check violation of the interstate travel ban.

The new measures, he said should include prosecution and conviction of transporters violating the interstate travel ban, impounding their vehicles while passengers smuggled into the state should be escorted back to their respective states.

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He said that despite measures put in place by security agencies to check interstate travel restriction, truck drivers keep developing pranks to beat security agencies, a reason why he said stiff sanction should be meted out.

“I still receive reports of violation of border closure, restriction by truck drivers. We have closed eight illegal routes created by truck drivers but despite our efforts, it is not serving as a deterrent. They kept on smuggling passengers in different trucks.

“In fact, I am going to suggest to the state government that henceforth, any vehicle caught should be impounded, the vehicle should be forfeited to the state government and the driver should be prosecuted and sentenced while the passengers should be conveyed in other vehicles back to their respective states”, he said.

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