TheCable

The Lagos government says the presidential steering committee (PSC) has deactivated the passports of about 200 travellers who presented “fake PCR tests and vaccination cards”.

Speaking in Lagos on Wednesday, Akin Abayomi, commissioner for health, said the defaulters would be subjected to fines or community service.

He said the names of the defaulters who failed to present themselves before the state’s mobile courts were submitted to the PSC and that their passports have been deactivated for one year.

“We have submitted the first 200 names of individuals who have failed to present themselves at the mobile courts to the Presidential Steering Committee (PSC) and their passports have been deactivated for a period of one year,” Abayomi said.

“These will be published in the dailies in the coming week and the next set of names will follow in the coming month.

“We encourage all those who have received a text message to present themselves at the mobile court to avoid these sanctions.”

Abayomi also condemned the “dubious and irresponsible actions” of some inbound passengers who present fake PCR tests and COVID vaccination cards in an attempt to bypass COVID protocol.

“These acts will not be tolerated as they represent the main catalyst of all the four waves which have had a major impact on the state’s public health systems and the economy,” he said.

“Whilst we understand that it may not have been the fault of passengers but facilitated by unscrupulous individuals assisting them, we have taken a decision not to submit their passports for deactivation by the Presidential Steering Committee, in the first instance, but give them an opportunity to present themselves at our mobile court to defend themselves and help identify where they are obtaining the fake documents, if applicable.”