Governor David Nweze Umahi of Ebonyi State has asked local government officials to flog residents of the state who appear in public without wearing face mask, Igbere TV reports.
Speaking at a stakeholders meeting on Wednesday, in Abakaliki, the state capital, Umahi said it is important for residents to use face masks to halt the spread of COVID-19 in the state.
Ebonyi has not recorded any case of COVID-19.
“Let me warn again that no face mask in Ebonyi State, no public movement,” the governor said.
“If you don’t have a face mask and you are out, I am directing the local government chairmen to use their men to inflict the minimum compliance which is the cane – the cane.
“No face mask, you will attract cane, it doesn’t matter who you are. If you are a big man and you are coming outside and you do not have a face mask, you will face trouble and the law is very clear about that.
“We have also emphasised, in fact, the General Officer Commanding (GOC) has also warned that the order of blocking must be maintained.
“The police must block the first point of the border, the army must give a safe distance and then block, then the other security agencies will now block and then after that, it is now the neighbourhood watch.”
On Wednesday, Umahi had barred two journalists from covering state functions for “writing bad reports about the state”.
