By Stanley Onyekwere
Officials of the FCT COVID-19 Enforcement Taskforce are in the manhunt for fraudsters, who purportedly move around harassing and extorting money from event planners and other residents, in guise of COVID-19 enforcement in Abuja.
Making this disclosure yesterday, Head, Media and Enlightenment of FCT COVID-19 Enforcement Taskforce, Comrade Ikharo Attah warned the public to be wary of such criminal elements who parade themselves as agents of government, but are not.
Attah while debunking the rumours that members of his Taskforce were involved in the criminal act, as neither the Presidential Taskforce on COVID-19 nor the FCTA have authorised anyone to harass or penalise violators of the safety guidelines.
He however added that it is only the Mobile Courts constituted by government that has the right to penalise violators.
According to him, any group of persons found extorting money from members of the public under any guise should be reported to the appropriate authorities, as such activities remain illegal.
“ We actually work on the platform of integrity having been set up together by the FCT Minister, Mallam Muhammad Musa Bello under the chairmanship of the FCT Police Commissioner, Bala Ciroma, we don’t go out asking people for money on issues relating to COVID-19 guidelines.
“ We actually avoid going to meet people to ask them to give us money for whatever. But it’s quite disheartening and disturbing that we have heard such rumours before now, that people go round in the name of COVID-19 enforcement.
“ We don’t have any office or any person like COVID-19 inspection officer, who we have assigned to go round. The commissioner of police who is our chairman have not approved such kind of officers to round. All those in this act should desist from it. The PTF at the national level had given the COVID-19 guidelines and protocols for us to observe.
“ There are events that they have allowed to operate here, and many events including schools are opened, but it’s just that they have some restrictions on the number or whatever that people should do,” he stressed.
He continues: “We call on event planners and managers to obey the COVID-19 guidelines given by the PTF not to patronise touts. And we are in the manhunt for persons doing these things.
“And we call on everyone particularly those who have event centres and those who are conducting marriages to please desist from that. If they have any enquiry, they know the Taskforce to approach, if need be we give them guide; and if we go round and see anything wrong, we are going to report back to the chairman, and ask them to do what is right.
“ So, those who patronise these persons who are fraudsters, we ask them to please kindly desist from doing so. Also, I’m appealing very strongly that besides the COVID-19, there are other issues that have to do with environmental law, planning law and several others, which should also be obeyed.”
