COVID-19: Rivers Imposes 24-hour Curfew on Parts of Port Harcourt

The Rivers State government has extended the dusk-to-dawn curfew it imposed on parts of Port Harcourt metropolis to 24 hours.

Governor Nyesom Wike, had in a broadcast on Monday night, announced a dusk-to-dawn curfew on Education Bus Stop to Agip Junction, Ikwerre Road and Obiri Ikwerre Junction to Ozuoba, Rumualogu and Choba because of violations on ban on markets.

But in a statement issued Tuesday morning, the state Commissioner for Information and Communications, Paulinus Nsirim, said the curfew in the named areas is for 24 hours.

“This is to inform members of the public that the curfew imposed at Education Bus Stop to Agip Junction, Ikwerre Road and Obiri Ikwerre Junction to Ozuoba, Rumualogu and Choba is for 24 hours with effect from today, March 31, 2020 till further notice,” the statement said.

He also warned that banks which refused to open for business in the state would face sanctions.

“The curfew is targeted at only some parts of the state. Therefore, banks have no excuse to shut down their operations.

“Any bank that is found to be closed will find it very difficult to reopen for business in the state,” he said.

Meanwhile, when THISDAY visited Mile 1, Diobu, one of the affected areas, stern-looking riot policemen and other plainclothes security men were checking the movements of vehicles and pedestrians. Shops were forced to close as they enforced a total lockdown of the area.