The Borno Government and heads of security agencies have announced a temporary relaxation of the curfew imposed in the state to allow Muslim faithful to observe the Friday (Jumaat) congregation prayers, the Police Public Relations Officer, ASP Daso Nahun, has disclosed.
According to him, the curfew would be relaxed from 12 pm to 3 pm to enable Muslims attend the Jumaat prayers at Mosques closer to their communities.
The Borno State government’s announcement came just as its counterpart in Kebbi vowed to tame what it described as attempts to import miscreants in the State disguised as #EndBadGovernance protesters.
In a radio and TV broadcast to the people of Kebbi this morning (Friday, August 2), in reaction to the first day (yesterday, August 1) of the protests during which some public property was reportedly destroyed in some local government areas of the State, Governor Nasir Idris said curfew would be enforced from 3 pm today to 6 am on Saturday (tomorrow, August 3).
“Information available to us states that some people are trying to import miscreants from other places into Kebbi to cause mayhem, especially in Birnin Kebbi, Argungu, Jega, Yauri and Zuru town,” the Governor said, warning that the government would never allow that to happen as it would not stand by and watch people who “don’t have the interest of the people at heart to destroy public property” under the guise of hunger protests..
Nahun advised the people of Borno to go about their lawful businesses and avoid any form of violence, assuring the public of adequate protection of lives and property, working towards sustainable peace and safety in the state.
“This decision comes after a series of incidents in the state, including protests, IED explosions, and culpable homicide.
”The government and security agencies are working to maintain law and order and ensure public safety,”he said.
Insisting that protests aren’t the proper way to address the complaints of the masses against the government of the day but dialogue, Idris pointed out that the people of Kebbi did not subscribe to protests.
“Whosoever knows the people of Kebbi knows that they are people that always respect the laws of the land and protest is not in our character, but some people want to import it by force to achieve their personal aggrandisement,” the Governor sneered at some unnamed sponsors of mayhem in the state, adding that as a responsible government, people who obviously “do not have the interest of the State at heart” would not be allowed “to use the protests for vandalism of public utilities, people’s shops and other property.”
“Available information at hand states that some people want to go to waterboard to perfect their vandalism mission but it baffles me to hear that they are targeting Water Board, what do they want at a place that serves the public?” the governor wondered.
“This is a clear indication that some bad elements want to use the protests to undermine the peace the people of Kebbi are enjoying.”
Idris appealed to the protesters to see reason in keeping the state in peace and shelve the protests in the interest of peace and progress of Kebbi.
“If you destroy public utilities, which belong to Kebbi people, if you destroy people’s shops and steal their property, it’s the same Kebbi people that will suffer,” the governor said.
He, however, said his government is doing everything possible to address the plights of Kebbi people, “therefore, we want to plead with the organisers to see reason in putting an end to it, they only know the beginning but they won’t know its end.”
“If you have a good motive behind the protest, some people may have an ill motive and anything destroyed in the cause of the protest in Kebbi is to the disadvantage of Kebbi people,” he pleaded.
