COVID19 Lockdown: 65 arrested in Lagos hotel at birthday party

The Lagos State Task Force on COVID-19, on Wednesday, arrested 65 partygoers for violating the lockdown order to curb the spread of coronavirus in the state.

Punch learnt that the suspects gathered at the 84 Parks and Gardens in the Abule-Egba area of the state for a birthday bash.

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It was gathered that the task force comprising personnel of the Lagos State Environmental Protection Agency, Lagos State Safety Commission, Rapid Response Squad and the Lagos State Task Force on Environmental Sanitation and Special Offences (Enforcement Unit) went to the venue to arrest the violators following a tip-off from members of the public.

The General Manager, LASEPA, Dolapo Fasawe, stated that the violators had been handed over to the police for profiling, while the venue of the party had been sealed off.

Confirming the development, the state Police Public Relations Officer, Bala Elkana, said in a statement, “On Wednesday, April 29, 2020, around 2.05pm, acting on credible intelligence, operatives from the Area ‘G’ Command and the Oko-Oba Division arrested 65 suspects at 84 Park Hotel, Augusto Close, Oko-Oba. The suspects were arrested for attending a birthday party and consuming some substances suspected to be illicit drugs.

Elkana added that the Commissioner of Police in the state, Hakeem Odumosu, called on residents to continue to be law-abiding and advised parents to monitor the activities of their children, especially during the lockdown period.

Speaking on the matter, the Director General, Lagos Safety Commission, Lanre Mojola, said, “It’s disheartening that the youth, who are the future of this great nation, are insensitive to their health. They should think about those people who are to be affected directly or indirectly by their action or inaction.”

Mojola warned events facility owners not to open for members of the public during the pandemic period, adding that the state government would not hesitate to apply the provisions of the law on such owners who defy government orders. Punch