Anambra State Association of Town Unions, ASATU, on behalf of all the communities of Anambra State, has expressed disgust and total disappointment with what it described as ongoing wicked efforts by some desperate citizens of the country who now engaged in the wicked acts of shipping strange persons from Northern Nigeria to the South of the country, Anambra State and the Southeast inclusive.
The Presidents-General of Town Unions made their feelings known in a Statement presented at a Press Conference at the ASATU Secretariat, Government House, Awka, said it was no longer news that in recent weeks, truckloads of persons, who may be carriers of covid-19, have been intercepted by security operatives in various parts of the Southeast; in Enugu, Abia, Anambra, etc.
The Statement signed by ASATU National President, Chief Alex Onukwue, observed that on Monday, a truck with registration number MGR 148XA was intercepted in Awka loaded with no less than 33 persons hidden in between goats, and the driver of the truck said they were from Plateau State, going to Onitsha.
ASATU, in the Release titled ,
“Shipping Of Strange Persons From The North To Anambra State And The
Southeast”, said this is completely unacceptable to Ndi Anambra and the rest of the Southeast and it must stop forthwith.
They asserted that whosoever that is or are behind this wickedness must refrain from doing so immediately as the communities of Anambra State can no longer fold their hands and watch as their lives are being threatened by the mischievous inclinations of some unpatriotic citizens who can go as far as hiding human beings between animals and bags of cement or whatever and smuggle them from the Northern parts of the country down to Anambra State and the Southeast.
They warned that whatever be the intentions of these unscrupulous individuals, they consider them most ungodly and totally unacceptable.
The Presidents-General maintained that without sounding unmindful of the constitutional provisions for freedom of movement in Nigeria, they are equally expected to obey lawful directives of the federal and state governments especially, in times of emergency as now, in this fight against the covid-19 pandemic.
They noted that the the federal government of Nigeria had announced closure of all inter state borders across Nigeria and banned all non essential travels between the states in the country, restating that the restrictions are still in force.
They further emphasised the emergency measures have been put in place to contain the spread of covid-19 across the country and save lives, adding that to that extent, the argument by some individuals that Nigerians have the right to go anywhere in Nigeria at any time is dead on arrival.
They warned that should this callous business continue of shipping strange persons, Almajirai or not, from the north or elsewhere to Anambra State in light of covid-19 restrictions, the communities of Anambra State will be left with no choice than to confront the situation with all the seriousness it deserves, adding that they could no longer take it as child’s play.
The Presidents-General called on the federal government and the security agencies to urgently look deeper into this ugly situation with a view to fishing out those who perpetrate this wicked sabotage and to bring them to book and stop the ugly trend.
They stressed that they in Anambra state see the ugly trend as a well articulated mission of some persons to cause fear and panic in the state and, in fact, to weaken the fight against covid-19 in Anambra state and the Southeast.
They also asserted that they see it as a deliberate inclination to rubbish the efforts of the governments of Anambra state and, indeed, the efforts of the government in the Southeast to contain the spread of the deadly virus in the region, and therefore, reject the sabotage, expressing hope that their message is clear.
The Presidents-General expressed understanding of the conditions of Ndi Anambra who are not able to enter the state for now due to COVID-19 restrictions, describing it as a difficult situation, but stressed that it is more important that everyone stays alive to tell the story of the horrible plague that has turned the world upside down.
The Presidents-General, therefore, appealed to them to be patient and remain safe wherever they are so that in the end they all will be alive to glorify God by the time covid-19 is over.
Noting some lapses in the activities of the Presidential Task Force (PTF) on Covid-19 and the National Center for Disease Control (NCDC), ASATU however, commended efforts of Governor Obiano, and the federal government, so far, in the fight against COVID-19, and appealed to all Nigerians, Ndi Anambra in particular, to continue observing the COVID-19 safety regulations of wearing of face masks, social distancing, ban on interstate movements and the dusk to dawn curfew.
They also gave kudos to the health workers who are at the forefront of the fight against the Coronavirus pandemic as well as good spirited individuals and groups for their efforts in cushioning the effects of the pandemic.
