Ekiti govt suspends task force member for declaring man free of COVID-19 (Video)

Ekiti State Government Wednesday ordered the indefinite suspension of a member of the state Task Force on COVID-19, Sola Durodola, for alleged incompetence and highhandedness.

Durodola, a security agent, had in a video reportedly mocked a former road safety officer, Femi Adeoye, who had come to report his son for violating the state government’s stay- at- home directive.

He also claimed the man’s son was free of COVID-19.

However, the state government has suspended the security agent for acting outside the scope of his operation.

In a statement issued by the state Commissioner for Information and Value Orientation, Muyiwa Olomilua, the government said none of Durodola’s “actions or misstatements” reflected the capacity or preparedness of the task force to combat the disease.

It also commended Adeoye for refusing to cover up his son’s travel history.

The government added that the man’s son had been taken to one of the state’s quarantine centres where he would stay for 14 days.

The statement read: “The attention of the Ekiti State COVID-19 Taskforce has been drawn to a video clip in circulation where a man refused to allow his son, who just returned from a trip outside the state, into his house until he had been isolated for 14 days as stipulated by NCDC protocol for preventing community spread of COVID-19 in Ekiti State.

“The Taskforce commends Mr. Femi Adeoye, for refusing to cover-up his son’s travel history and for denying him access into the house without confirming his COVID-19 status.

“Mr. Adeoye epitomizes the Ekiti ethos of selflessness, which places a greater premium on the collective good of the society above personal and emotional considerations. This is the core of the Values Orientation policy of the Fayemi-led administration.

“We also consider it necessary to inform members of the public that the video was recorded about four days ago, by one of the security men attached to the Fajuyi Pavilion, where the Enforcement Taskforce uses as its base for coordination of daily operations. The security man who recorded the encounter is neither a health worker nor qualified or authorized to determine the health status of the young man.

“So, none of his actions or misstatements reflects the capacity or preparedness of the State Taskforce to combat the COVID-19 virus. The officer in question has been suspended pending further investigations, for acting outside the jurisdiction of his scope of authority.

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“Following the encounter, the young man has been in the custody of the state for the past four days and has since been taken to one of the designated quarantine centres, where he would be for 14 days, in line with a laid down procedure that dictates that anyone who sneaks into the state would be quarantined for 14 days, at their own cost.

“His samples will also be taken for testing in order to ensure he has not been infected in the course of his travels to high incidence areas of the country.” Watch the video below:

 

https://www.instagram.com/p/B_kHKJkg7zN/

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