The Police in Ogun state has arrested the masquerader for violating the federal and state governments’ order on social distancing and public gatherings to curb the spread of the deadly coronavirus disease.
Police Public Relations Officer in the state, Abimbola Oyeyemi, was reported as saying that the masquerader was arrested after he threatened to deal with the police officers if they dispersed his followers.
He explained that the masquerader was apprehended on Sunday in the Ijeja area of Abeokuta following a complaint by members of the public that some persons had gathered in their hundreds in the area.
According to Oyeyemi, the gathering was to celebrate the traditional masquerader festival in the area which was likely to see more people converge in defiance of the coronavirus prevention measures.
“Upon the report, policemen from the Ibara Division moved to the area and warned the people to disperse, but the masquerader confronted the policemen and threatened to deal with them if they insisted on dispersing his followers.
“The masquerader was subsequently arrested and taken to the station, where he was warned to be law-abiding before he was released to a reliable surety,” said the police PRO.