Governor Umar Namadi of Jigawa State has imposed a 24-hour curfew following the outbreak of violence during the first day of the nationwide protest against bad governance.
The governor announced the curfew in a state broadcast on Friday, describing the escalation of violence as unfortunate and unacceptable.
Governor Namadi, however, approved a temporary relaxation of the curfew on Friday to allow Muslims to attend the Juma’a prayer. The curfew will be lifted from 12:00 pm to 2:30 pm for worshippers to participate in the congregational prayer at mosques.
“To ensure the return of peace and stability, we announced the 24-hour curfew,” the governor stated. “However, for Friday, the curfew will be relaxed between noon and 2:30 p.m. to allow people to attend Friday prayer in the mosque.”
The governor condemned the transformation of what was intended to be a peaceful demonstration into violent unrest, characterized by destruction and looting. He emphasized that such behavior is not reflective of the state’s cultural values and vowed not to allow it to continue unchecked.
“Together with security agencies, we will continue to study the situation and take appropriate action to safeguard the lives and property of the people against miscreants and hoodlums across the state,” Namadi added.
