Gov. Ben Ayade of Cross River in the early hours of Wednesday paid an unscheduled visit to the Cross River border post at Itu Bridge.
The border post which is a boundary between Cross River and Akwa Ibom is in Odukpani Local Government Area of the state.
Speaking to newsmen during the visit, Ayade said:” We decided to stop over at the post to catch the security operatives on duty arms down but I was impressed that they were alert and the border was properly manned.
“You are aware that while Akwa Ibom has recorded some cases of the coronavirus (COVID-19), we don’t have any case in Cross River.
“For us as a state, all our borders must remain shut, that is why we are here on a confirmatory and solidarity visit to support our men who are sacrificing this pleasant time they are supposed to share with their family just to ensure we are safe.
“I must say we are proud that we are all ready to stay the night here, we will have a burning fire and I will be here till the late hours of the morning just to ensure that no vehicle enters the state.
“Once we are satisfied, tomorrow, we will visit another border point, the Cameroon border, until we are sure that truly, truly, we have locked Cross River properly,” he said.
Earlier, at about midnight the governor was at the states Garment Factory, where he inspected the ongoing production of face masks.
He said his hope was for the factory to produce 4.5 million face masks and with what the factory was doing, running shifts, they should be able to attain their target.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports the governor ordered security operatives to arrest anyone on the streets of the state without a face mask on.
The governor added that defaulters would be quarantined for 14 days and made to pay a fine of N300 thousand.