Jigawa State Governor, Umar Namadi, has declared a 24-hour curfew after the hunger protest turned violent in the state.
Declaring the curfew in a state broadcast on Thursday night, the governor noted that the restriction is with immediate effect.
He however stated that it will be relaxed from 12:00 to 2:30 p.m. on Friday to allow Muslims to participate in the Jumm’at congregational prayers.
The governor blamed the state government’s decision on the looting that characterised 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.
“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.
“For the sake of Friday prayers tomorrow, we are relaxing the curfew from 12 noon to 2:30 pm to allow people to go to the mosque and pray for the state and nation. After 2:30 pm, the curfew will continue and we pray that people will obey this curfew and ensure that they stay at home.”
He also thanked the Ulamas and traditional rulers for their roles in influencing the people not to embark on the nationwide protest in Jigawa State.
