COVID-19: Abuja fun seekers defy lockdown, sneak into neighbouring towns

Fun seekers have defied the lockdown order on the nation’s capital, sneaking into Nasarawa State suburb to unwind. The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that most of the fun seekers bribe their way through the several checkpoints to get to their destinations. A NAN correspondent, who visited the relaxation spots, popularly called the red light zones, discovered that most of those patronising the joints came all the way from Abuja to catch fun.

Some of the areas visited by NAN include, Abacha Road, Gidan Drama, off Guruku Medical Centre road, Mararaba, Tee Joint, Ado Road, Point and kill joints at One Man village and Uke, also known as Zimbabwe, where many of the fun seekers were seen enjoying themselves. One of them, who simply identified himself as Nuhu, told NAN that, though “it is expensive coming to the joint, nothing is too much to pay to have satisfaction. “I came all the way from Central Area, in Abuja, to this place to have fun because none of the gardens in Abuja has opened for business. “I am a public servant, and sincerely I am tired of staying at home, because after eating, I sleep, wake up and do nothing more. So I had to find my way to this place to kill boredom.” Another fun seeker, who gave his name as Malam Muktari, said though he was aware of the lockdown, he had to find his way to a place where he could relax and get rid of boredom.

“This Gidan Drama is exciting, I have missed my friends; and because we do not reside in the same place, we need to have a rallying point to meet and have fun, that is why we are here,” Muktari said. NAN reports that in spite of the social distancing advice, the people were seen mingling with each other, drinking and eating together. It was also observed that there were few vehicles around the parks and joints visited; and further investigation revealed that it was an intentional act in order not to attract the attention of security agents. Some of the operators of the spots who spoke to NAN, lamented that the lockdown order was affecting business, as many people no longer patronise their joints. A medical personnel, Dr. Sunday Borokini, called on government to ensure that measures to curb the spread of the virus were strictly enforced, following the World Health Organisation (WHO)’s warning that 300,000 people might likely die of the coronavirus in Africa. Borokini advised government to take the issue of citizens’ welfare and security serious in order to win the fight against the dreaded COVID-19. He suggested that the relevant authorities stepped up efforts in public enlightenment at the community level, adding that if not nipped in the bud, the fear of community transmission might become a reality. (NAN)