COVID-19: Rivers State Government quarantines Caverton pilots

Posted by admin Headlines, Rivers, State News Saturday, April 11th, 2020

The Rivers State Government has announced that the two pilots arraigned before a Chief Magistrate Court for contravening the Executive Order signed by the Rivers State Governor, Chief Nyesom Wike, to check the spread of the novel Coronavirus are being detained at a state government facility for the protection of inmates of Port Harcourt Correctional Centre. In a statement, the Rivers State Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice, Prof Zacheaus Adangor said the two Caverton Helicopters’ pilots remanded by a Magistrate Court, last Tuesday, were not sent to the Port Harcourt Correctional Centre but were quarantined in Delta Hotels. Adangor explained, “after the demands were made, I had to return back to the court, and applied for a variation of that order changing the place to any Rivers State Government facility, including Delta Hotels. The court considered that, and granted that application for variation.”

He maintained that ab initio, the state government knew that remanding the pilots in the Correctional Centre would jeopardise the lives of inmates and would put the lives of its citizens at risk. Currently, he said, the two pilots are being attended to by health officials attached to COVID-19 medical team, to monitor them and ensure they are isolated to ascertain their health status. “The truth of the matter is that the Honourable Attorney-General of Rivers State applied for and obtained a variation order from the Chief Magistrate Court, Port Harcourt, changing the place of remand from the Port Harcourt Correctional Centre to any Rivers State Government-owned facility or building including Delta Hotels, GRA, Port Harcourt. “Based on that order of variation of the remand order, the two pilots are being remanded at Delta Hotels, Old GRA, Port Harcourt, and are attended to regularly by medical personnel attached to the Rivers State COVID-19 medical team.” The statement added: “For the avoidance of doubt, we want to restate that none of the two pilots spent a second at the Port Harcourt Correctional Centre.

-Tidewp_posts