Jigawa State Governor, Umar Namadi, has declared a 24-hour curfew in response to violent protests that erupted over hunger in the state.
In a state broadcast on Thursday night, Governor Namadi announced that the curfew would take immediate effect but would be temporarily relaxed from 12:00 to 2:30 p.m. on Friday to allow Muslims to participate in Jumm’at congregational prayers.
The governor attributed the decision to the looting that marred the #EndBadGovernance protest in the state. “As a result of that, we are introducing a 24-hour curfew in Jigawa State and this curfew will continue up till the time we have reviewed the situation again with the security agencies and we feel it’s time for us to relax,” Namadi stated.
He expressed concern over the protests, stating, “Today we woke up with a series of protests that is not part of our culture and tradition.
We feel that this protest will not be the solution to what people are demanding.
It is only Allah that can rescue you from that hardship. Therefore protest is not a solution and will not be a solution.
We realised how people use young boys to vandalise and steal people’s property. This is not part of our culture and tradition.
Therefore, we feel as a government, we should not allow this to continue unabated.”
Governor Namadi emphasized the importance of observing the curfew to maintain order. “For the sake of Friday prayers tomorrow, we are relaxing the curfew from 12 noon to 2:30 p.m. to allow people to go to the mosque and pray for the state and nation. After 2:30 p.m., the curfew will continue, and we pray that people will obey this curfew and ensure that they stay at home,” he said.
He also expressed gratitude to the Ulamas and traditional rulers for their efforts in dissuading the populace from participating in the nationwide protest in Jigawa State.
