Jigawa in lockdown: Governor Namadi imposes 24-hour curfew to restore order
Jigawa State Governor, Alhaji Umar Namadi, has imposed a 24-hour curfew following widespread looting and vandalism during the #EndBadGovernance protest. The curfew was announced in a state broadcast on Thursday night.
Governor Namadi expressed disappointment at the destruction of property, stating, “It is sad that we woke up on Thursday to witness what is not part of our culture and tradition of destroying properties and even the protest. This is totally not part of us because as a Muslim, we believe that nobody can inflict hardship on anybody except God Almighty.”
The governor noted that the curfew is necessary to assess and evaluate the situation before deciding on the next steps. However, he announced that the curfew would be relaxed from 12:00 noon to 2:30 pm on Friday to allow for Jumu’ah prayers.
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The Jigawa State Police Command has pledged to enforce the curfew strictly. According to DSP Lawan Shiisu Adam, the curfew was prompted by violent attacks on stores, the local government secretariat, and politicians’ homes. The police have arrested 55 suspects and recovered several stolen items, including 35 motorcycles, 3 tricycles, 12 bicycles, 111 bags of fertilizer, 9 chairs, and 40 cartons of mosquito nets.
Some of the areas affected include Hadejia LG Secretariat, where six vehicles were set on fire, and the vandalised JARDA store in Gumel LG. Other incidents involved the looting of the APC state secretariat, the vandalism of the NITDA office, and an attempted attack on Senator Babangida Hussaini’s house in Kazaure LGA.
