The Governor of the Nigerian state of Rivers ordered the demolition on Sunday of two hotels allegedly found guilty of violating lockdown measures imposed in response to the Chinese coronavirus pandemic.
The bulldozing took place after Rivers Governor Nyesom Wike, who personally oversaw the operation, warned that hotels found to be hosting guests during the outbreak would have their properties demolished. One of the hotels was owned by a member of Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), the same party Wike belongs to.
“If we can do this to a PDP person, then you know we are not discriminatory,” Wike told reporters following the demolition. “Whether you are in PDP, SDP, or no party, you must obey the law. If any other person does the same thing, the same rule will apply. Government has no alternative but to apply the Executive order which I signed before the lockdown of Obio/Akpor and Port Harcourt.”
He continued:
I called all the Traditional Rulers and Council Chairmen and told them to ensure that no hotel operates in the State. We are not saying it will be forever. This is for now, so that we know where we are, to reduce the cases and check the spread. We said no hotel should operate within this period. Unfortunately, the PDP youth leader in Eleme joined others to flout the Executive Order. Therefore, the executive order will be applied.
Wike went on to explain that he had been forced to take such stringent measures because of the state’s supposedly aggressive rate of infection:
Look at the rate of infections, most of these people are found in hotels. Look at the man that died, he was at Mingi Hotel in Rumumasi. Due to that contact, we have had other seven cases. People should help us and support government for Rivers people to be safe. Security Council will meet to review the strategies and achievements or setbacks, moving forward. All we are doing is to protect our people. Some people may not like our strategies, but our objective is to achieve results.
It is not the first time that Wike has attracted controversy for his draconian approach to lockdown implementation. Having vowed to take on any individual or corporation that thinks it is above the rules, he recently arrested 22 Exxon Mobile employees who entered the state in violation of quarantine measures.
With a population of close to 200 million, Nigeria has so far recorded 4,400 cases of the coronavirus and 143 deaths, well below that of other African countries. However, such figures are not heavily reliable. Many hospital patients have complained of being deprived of food, medicine, and essential care, while doctors have also gone on strike over lack of personal protective equipment (PPE).
A group of Nigerian attorneys last month filed a lawsuit against the Chinese communist regime seeking $200 billion in damages for its role in causing and attempting to cover up the ongoing pandemic. They also hope to bring Beijing to the International Criminal Court (ICC) at The Hague.
Follow Ben Kew on Facebook, Twitter at @ben_kew, or email him at bkew@breitbart.com.