By Wole Adedeji, Ilorin
The Special Court set up in Kwara State to try any recalcitrant person, who flouts the lockdown law has convicted three people.
The court, which was earlier constituted by the Chief Judge of the state, Justice Suleiman Kawu, commenced it’s sitting on Tuesday and had some persons who were apprehended arraigned before it.
The three persons were arrested for violating the lockdown order made by the government to restrict movements to contain the coronavirus pandemic in the state. They were sentenced to a month community service, having been found guilty
The Chief Magistrates Court, which is doubling as the court to handle the lockdown laws, convicted them having found them guilty of breaching the set government order.
The convicts were: Amos Philip, Babangida Dontatin and Baraye Abel, all of Sawmill Area in Ilorin, the state capital.
The convicts had pleaded guilty to the offences and pleaded with the court to tamper justice with mercy, promising not to do such again.
Prior to the conviction of the defendants, the prosecutor, Inspector Nasir Yusuf, prayed the court to try them summarily, since they pleaded guilty to the offences.
However, Chief Magistrate Bio Salihu convicted the defendants for the offences of failure to comply with restriction order imposed by the government and obstruction of a public officer from carrying out his duties to enforce restriction order.
The judge also said the offenders were disobedient to order duly promulgated by government.
Consequently, the court ordered them to sweep the High Court premises, Ilorin, for the next 30 days, beginning from Thursday, 16th April.
They were arrested by a team of Police Operatives from the ‘B’ Division, Ilorin, engaged to enforce the restriction order of the Kwara State government aimed at checking the spread of COVID-19 virus in the state.
The Police First Information Report, FIR, had stated that the convicts committed the offences which contravened Regulation 17 Paragraphs (1)(i) & (iii) of the Kwara State Infectious Diseases (Emergency Prevention) Regulations 2020 and Section 152 of Penal Code Law.
