Ogun State closes borders to neighbouring states and Benin Republic due to Coronavirus

Ogun State closes borders to neighbouring states and Benin Republic due to Coronavirus

 

The Ogun State Government has announced its borders will be closed to neighbouring states and the Republic of Benin.

The announcement was made on social media and will begin Sunday, March 29 at 12 midnight.

The order to close the borders was given by Governor Dapo Abiodun and his Chief Press Secretary Kunle Somorin revealed the procedure and reason in a statement on the official Twitter account of the State.

The statement said, “Ogun State Government has announced the closure of its borders with the neighbouring states and the international border with the Republic of Benin.

“The closure will be effected at 12 Midnight on Sunday, 29th March, 2020. It will be in force for two weeks in the first instance.

“With this restriction order, movement in and out of the state is thus banned as a further measure to contain the coronavirus pandemic.

“In a statement issued on Saturday in Abeokuta by Kunle Somorin, Chief Press Secretary, @dabiodunMFR, the state is constrained to effect border closure in order to stem and flatten the curve of the spread of the dreaded coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, not only in the state but in the country and in the West African sub-region.

“The position of Ogun State is peculiar. It not only shares an international border with the Republic of Benin, it does so with all other states in the South West (except Ekiti), including Lagos State, which has understandably recorded the highest number of infections in the country largely because it hosts the busiest air and sea ports and it’s the nation’s economic capital.

“The border closure will not only be beneficial to Ogun State but the national efforts to curtail and contain the virus.

Lessons from other climes strongly indicate that closure of borders has the potential to drastically flatten the curve of spread whilst unrestricted movement portends grave dangers”,

The only exceptions to the interstate restrictions are vehicles conveying personnel involved in essential services such as security agencies, health workers, food and medical items and petroleum products.

The Statement enjoined citizens to fully cooperate with the security agencies who have been fully briefed and directed to effect the closure, noting that at this period of a global pandemic and national emergency all hands must be on deck to slow down the spread of COVID-19.

The border closure and other measures will be reviewed from time to time, in response to developments as they unfold, the statement concluded.