Night burial organisers risk imprisonment, Benue warns

It’s now an offence for families who lost their loved ones to hold burials and other forms of programmes beyond 10 pm in Benue State.

The state governor has also prohibited farming on empty unfenced plots of land in front of any premises on the street, or by the roadside within urban areas during nighttime in the state.

The state governor, Rev Fr Hyacinth Alia, on Friday signed an Executive Order establishing the Department of Public Order in the Ministry of Justices to coordinate government policies and matters relating to public order.

He said he inherited a state characterised by widespread criminality and political violence such as kidnappings, murders, and intimidation against targeted groups or individuals leading to the emergency of local warlords and militia groups.

Performing the ceremony on Friday in Makurdi at the Government House, Alia said the order was pursuant to Section 14 Sub-Section (2) of the 1999 Constitution and Section 10 of the Public Order Act, CAP 382 of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.

According to the governor, any breach of the prescribed public rules will amount to a sanction not less than N20,000 and not more than N500,000  fine or imprisonment depending on the gravity of the offense.

The governor who was represented by his deputy, Sam Odeh, said the proscribed public misconduct included, “disobedience to traffic rules, child labour, and exploitation, all forms of prostitution, indiscriminate dumping of refuse on road dividers, open defecation, and urination, demanding of marching ground levy from developers, building on water channels or structures, kiosks, shanties on the right of way, hawking or selling of goods of any kind by the roadside or on the road.

“Also prohibited is farming on empty unfenced plots of land or in front of any premises or on the street, or by the roadside within urban areas, and farming on undeveloped areas of government offices or quarters or reserved areas.

“It adds that from the commencement of the Order, rallies, wakes and other forms of public gatherings should not be held beyond the hours of 10 pm in the state.

“But any person or group wishing to hold gathering beyond 10 pm are advised to first, seek and obtain a permit from the Department of Public Order at the Ministry of Justice,” the governor stated.