COVID-19 lockdown: Abia Govt dissolves Task Force Committee for alleged compromise 

The Abia State Government has dissolved the COVID-19 Enforcement Task Force Team for Aba zone with immediate effect.

Aa statement signed by the Secretary to the State Government(SSG) and Chairman, Abia State COVID-19 Committee, Barrister Chris Ezem and made available to reporters in Umuahia, on Wednesday, reconstituted a new Enforcement Task Force committee.

Solomon Ogunji, the Abia Commissioner for Environment has been named the chairman of the new COVID-19 Task Force team for Aba zone.

Members of the Taskforce Committee included: Dr. Cosmos Ndukwe, Barr. Ekele Nwaohamuo, Bright Chinedu Ikeokwu, Transition committee(TC) Chairman of Aba North local government area, TC Chairman Aba South, TC Chairman Ugwunagbo, TC Chairman Osisioma, and TC Chairman Obingwa .

The release stated that the Task Force Committee is charged with the mandate of enforcing in totality, the lockdown order in Aba, and ensure full compliance to the dusk to dawn curfew directive.

“The team is expected to work in collaboration with the Mobile Court in Aba jurisdiction,” it concluded.

Meanwhile, a former governorship candidate in Abia State, Charles Okereke, has decried the obnoxious activities of the Abia State Taskforce Team on COVID-19 lockdown ranging from harassment and intimidation of residents of the state.

Okereke, who spoke with journalists in Umuahia, on Wednesday, recalled how he was nearly being assaulted by a police officer attached to taskforce team.

He narrated, “Some COVID-19 taskforce members are becoming threats to Abians. This Wednesday, around 7.45 am, members of COVID- 19 taskforce severely beat up a keke driver on Lagos Street between Calabar Road and Umuwaya Road in Umuahia. One of the taskforce members was flogging the keke driver with a machete when I arrived the scene.

“I took video of the in incident but a member of the taskforce with alcohol in his breath threatened to kill me if I did not delete the video. A bystander deleted the video from my phone to avoid trouble.

“This serious, Abia Government should investigate this and appropriate disciplinary action taken against erring members of the taskforce committee.”