Jigawa govt declares curfew, says 'only Allah can solve hardship'

Jigawa State Governor, Umar Namadi, has declared a 24-hour curfew against the #EndBadGovernance nationwide protest, which has turned violent and resulted in looting.

While announcing the curfew he said it is only Allah that can solve hardship, not protest.

The governor disclosed this in a live broadcast, stating the curfew is with immediate effect but will be relaxed from 12:00 to 2:30 pm during Jumm’at congregational prayers.

Mr. Namadi described the protest in the state as strange, saying it was carried out primarily by underaged children led by sponsors with vested interests.

Scene from the #EndBadGovernance protest

He said it is only God that can solve hardship problems, not protests alone. In his words, the governor said, “It is only Allah subhanahu wa ta’ala that can solve hardship problems, not by protest, so our people should go to the mosque and pray to Allah.”

The governor cited reasons for declaring the curfew and admitted it may continue until the situation is assessed and evaluated to determine the next line of action.

“The situation in which the peaceful demonstration turned violent, characterized by destruction and looting, is totally unacceptable, and it is not in our culture. Therefore, we will not allow it to continue unabated.

“To ensure the return of peace and stability, we announce a 24-hour curfew; however, for the sake of Friday prayer, the curfew will be relaxed between 12:00 to 2:30 pm to allow people to attend Friday prayer.

“Together with security agencies, we will continue to study the situation and take appropriate action to safeguard the lives and properties of people against miscreants and hoodlums across the state,” the broadcast read in part.

Meanwhile, the police in the state warned that the curfew would be enforced, urging residents to abide by the directives. The spokesperson for the police in the state, Lawan Adam, said the protesters attacked government and individual storage facilities and burned vehicles parked at a local government secretariat.

Mr. Adam said the protesters broke into the Hadejia local council secretariat and caused havoc. The police said the protesters set fire to six vehicles parked at the premises of the local government secretariat.

He said the protesters also vandalized a storage facility of the Jigawa Agricultural and Rural Development Agency (JARDA) and stole fertilizers and food items.

Additionally, the police said the protesters in Gumel Local Government Area razed the residence of the member representing Gumel, Sule-Tankarkar, Maigari, Gagarawa Federal Constituency, Nazifi Sani.

Mr. Adam said the marauding hoodlums also vandalized the NITDA office, looted the APC state secretariat and set it ablaze, vandalized the Jigawa Agricultural Supply Company (JASCO) store, and carted away fertilizer and food items in the Birnin Kudu local council area.