Sola Ojo and Noah Ebije, Kaduna
Kaduna State Governor, Nasir El-Rufai, yesterday relaxed the 24-hour curfew declared on Sunday in Kaduna metropolis and other parts of the state.
The relaxation, which followed a meeting of the Kaduna State Security Council, which received reports and deliberated on the security situation, takes immediate effect, Senior Special Assistant to the governor on media and publicity, Samuel Aruwan, said in a statement.
As at the time the curfew was reviewed, Kaduna streets were deserted, apart from mini shops within communities that were opened for petty transactions, especially, those that sell food stuffs and mobile network recharge cards.
Daily Sun noted that between Sunday and Monday, when the tension was heightened, no fewer than 26 persons reportedly lost their lives, while several injured are receiving treatment in various hospitals in the state.
But, while the curfew was relaxed in some areas for few hours, other areas considered to be flashpoints, like Sabon Tasha, Narayi, Kabala West, Kabala Doki and Mararaban Rido, still remain 24 hours.
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“Following the review, the security council recommended that the curfew in Kasuwan Magani and Kujama be relaxed, so that people can move between 6:00a.m. and 5:00p.m. The curfew in Kasuwan Magani and Kujama remain, but will now be enforced from dusk to dawn – from 5:00p.m. to 6:00a.m., till further notice”, Aruwan said.
Meanwhile, the Arewa Consultative Forum (ACF) has condemned the recent mayhem in Kasuwan Magani village, Kajuru Local Government Area of Kaduna State, where over 55 people were killed, and the latest repraisal attacks in Kaduna metropolis, which caused the death of 23 persons.
The former governor of the state, Senator Ahmed Makarfi, also condemned the killings and said it has caused a setback in quest for a lasting peace in the State. This was contained in a statement issued yesterday, by his media aide, Mukhtar Zubairu Sirajo.
However, ACF, in a statement through its National Publicity Secretary, Muhammad Ibrahim Biu, said:
“The communal reprisal clash over simple disagreement, with its consequent loss of lives and destruction of property is most unfortunate and condemnable.”