At least 78 Lagos residents have been arrested and convicted for violating “the principles of social distancing.”
Lagos police spokesman Bala Elkana in a statement on Wednesday said convicted persons “were arrested playing football on major streets and having group exercise in large number.”
“The suspects were arraigned in Chief Magistrate Court Yaba on one count charge of violating the social distancing directives of Lagos State Government,” Elkana said.
Elkana said 73 of the arrested persons pleaded guilty to the charge while 3 pleaded not guilty.
“The Court ordered that all the suspects should be kept in Government Isolation Centres for 14 days and thereafter serve one month community service,” the statement stated.
“The three suspects who pleaded not guilty will after observing the 14 days isolation, be brought to Court for trial,” it added.
A lockdown was imposed in Lagos, the neighbouring state of Ogun and the capital, Abuja, by President Muhammadu Buhari last week in order to halt the spread of the coronavirus.
Guardian News
