President Muhammadu Buhari has signed the Quarantine Order which gives legal backing to the lockdown extension announced by the President.

The President made the announcement on his Twitter handle on Monday.

According to the order, the lockdown and cessation of movement in Lagos State, the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Abuja and Ogun State is extended for a further period of 14 days effective, Tuesday, April 14.

The regulation is further to the Quarantine Act, COVID-19 Regulation No 2 of 2020 signed by President Buhari in March 2020.

The tweet reads in full:

President @MBuhari signing the Quarantine Order at the State House today.

Buhari had earlier in a live broadcast on Sunday, March 29 announced a lockdown and restriction of movement in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Abuja, Lagos and Ogun States.

In another live broadcast on Monday, April 13, the President extended the lockdown noting that the COVID-19 pandemic is not a joke and urged Nigerians to bear with the difficult decision.

Nigeria currently has 343 cases of COVID-19 spread across 19 states including the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), with 10 deaths recorded from the disease.