Rivers State Governor, Nyesom Wike, has begun the demolition of two hotels in the capital, Port Harcourt, for opening for business despite the lockdown to check the spread of coronavirus pandemic.
A statement on Sunday by the Commissioner for Information and Communication, Paulinus Nsirim, confirmed that the demolition had begun.
Mr Nsirim identified the defaulting hotels as Prodest Hotel, Alode, Eleme and Edemeteh Hotel, Onne.
Mr Wike, accompanied by armed security operatives, led a bulldozer to the Prodest Hotel and watched as the hotel was brought down.
Nsirim said the other would be demolished in line with the governor’s order.
According to the statement, the governor further demonstrated his resolve to curb the spread of COVID-19 when he stormed some roads in the capital city to enforce the lockdown.
Wike personally stopped cars, including vehicles conveying VIPs, and ordered security operatives to take them to isolation centres.
He ordered vehicles of the defaulters to be impounded and directed mobile policemen escorting the individuals to walk home.
Wike, however, allowed persons on essential duties and a pregnant woman, who said she was going for ante-natal to proceed to their destinations.
The governor’s unorthodox approach to lockdown enforcement has attracted praises and condemnation in equal measure.
Governor Wike has personally taken over command on the streets of Port Harcourt enforcing extreme lockdown and sending the defaulters to quarantine, seen as prison.
While going round on inspection, over 200 defaulters, including a private guard and others were arrested and dragged to the state Isolation Centre, Elekahia.
Wike also arrested some very important persons (VIPs), who were not on essential duties yet moving around with their police escorts.
In one occasion, the governor berated Deputy Commissioner of Police (Operations), Adamu Abubakar, accusing him of ‘sabotaging’ the lockdown imposed on Port Harcourt and Obio-Akpor local councils to check the spread of the novel coronavirus in Rivers State.
Rivers currently has 21 positive cases.
