Rwanda National Police (RNP) has warned drivers against illegal use of the movement clearance permit to flout the government directives on preventing the spread of the Covid-19 pandemic.
The warning comes after scores of drivers have been arrested for misusing the movement clearance permit especially facilitating other violators.
In the latest operation conducted on Sunday, August 1, at about 10:30pm in Remera Sector of Gasabo District, Rwanda National Police intercepted one Jean Claude Wibabara, who was transporting three violators.
Wibabara, a resident of Remera, had secured a movement permit to transport someone to Kigali International Airport.
He was later to be arrested at about 10:30pm transporting three women to Kimironko Sector after picking them from Kagarama, Kicukiro District.
While speaking to the media on Monday, August 2, at Amahoro stadium, where all the violators were taken, Wibabara admitted that after dropping the passenger at KIA, he continued to Kagarama to pick the three passengers, whom he was caught with.
“I had secured a movement permit from 6pm to 10:30pm, to transport someone, who had a night flight at Kigali International Airport to Canada. However, after dropping the passenger at the airport, these three girls called me later that night to pick them from Kagarama and take them to Kimironko. Since I had a movement clearance, I managed to drive to Kagarama, picked them but Police intercepted us on our way back,” Wibabara said.
Alice Iradukunda, one of the passengers, said that they had gone to Kagarama to visit a friend, who recently returned to Rwanda from Belgium.
She added that they called Wibabara to help them beat security since it was already during prohibited movement hours and the driver had a movement clearance.
RNP spokesperson, Commissioner of Police (CP) John Bosco Kabera, warned drivers against using the movement permit to flout the government directives.
“First, the driver was using the movement clearance permit contrary to its original purpose. The permit was only issued to him to transport someone to Kigali International Airport during curfew hours, and drive back home. Instead, he used the permit to go to unauthorized place, Kagarama, that night and tried to facilitate other violators,” CP Kabera said.
He added: “Home visits and parties are prohibited; these three people that the driver was transporting had, therefore, undermined the government directives to visit their friend and more so, to move during prohibited hours.”
About ten drivers were arrested last month while using the movement permit to smuggle people out of Kigali, which was under lockdown, to other parts of the country. Others were driving to places contrary to where they had indicated while applying for the permit.
CP Kabera advised the violators that instead of asking for forgiveness, which will not stop arrests and related penalties, they should comply with the directives because they are meant to protect them from the virus. (End)