The Kaduna
State Government has imposed a 24-hour curfew on the state capital and its
environs to forestall a breakdown of law and order.
Governor
Nasir El-Rufai’s Senior Special
Assistant on Media and Publicity, Mr Samuel Aruwan, said the curfew was with
immediate effect.
“A 24-hour
curfew has been imposed on Kaduna town and environs. It is with immediate
effect,” Aruwan said in a statement.
Tension had
enveloped the state following the communal clash at Kasuwan Magani in the
Kajuru Local Government Area of the state.
The police
in the state claimed that no fewer than 55 persons were killed in the clash,
while 22 suspects had been arrested.
On Sunday
after church services, there was a commotion in areas like Sabo Tasha, Ungwan Pama, Television Garage, Barnawa, Ungwan Romi, and Narayi, where
residents were sighted running for dear life.
Some youths were spotted mounting roadblocks.
The areas
are dominated by Christian and located in the southern part of the state.
As of
3.30pm, shops, pubs, major fuel stations as well as Barnawa Shopping Complex
were closed down for fear of mayhem.
Owojela’s
Blog gathered that the confusion was as a result of a rumour of crisis in the
southern part of the state.
An
eyewitness, who spoke with our correspondent on condition of anonymity, said
the rumour turned out as false.
He said,
“People should stop spreading rumour, because spreading rumour is dangerous.
“What really
happened in Kujama market was that bees
entered the market, and out of panic people started running without finding out
what went wrong.”
As of the
time of filing this report, operatives of the state security outfit, codenamed
Operation Yaki, were patrolling the streets to ensure the safety of lives and
property in the state.
Meanwhile,
President Muhammadu Buhari, on Sunday, said he would be expecting regular
updates from the Inspector-General of Police, Ibrahim Idris, on efforts being
made to restore normalcy to troubled Kaduna.
He disclosed
that a special intervention force had already been deployed in the troubled
spots.
Buhari
disclosed these in a series of tweets posted on his Twitter handle, @MBuhari on
Sunday.
President
said the disregard for the sanctity of life was not acceptable.
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