From Billy Graham Abel Yola
Governor Ahmadu Fintiri of Adamawa State, yesterday, declared a 24-hour curfew on the state with immediate effect, following wide scale looting and attacks on citizens by hoodlums.
The hoodlums, complaining of hunger and high cost of foodstuff following the recent increase in price of fuel, ransacked government-owned and private food storages and warehouses, carting away anything in sight in anger.
The governor, in a statement issued by his Chief Press Secretary, Humwashi Wonosikou, said the situation had assumed a dangerous dimension in Yola, as the protesters attacked people with machetes and broke into business premises and homes stealing goods and property.
“With the curfew imposed, there will be no movement throughout the state. Only those on essential duties with valid identification would be permitted to move around during the period of the curfew,” he said.
Fintiri appealed to law-abiding residents to comply with the directive, warning that anyone caught contravening the order would be arrested and prosecuted.
Hundreds of hoodlums had broken into federal and state government storage facilities and looted food and non food items in Yola. The items included maize, rice, beans, corn, generators, wrappers, mattresses and plastic buckets.
Head of Operations, National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA), Mr Ladan Ayuba, said the armed hoodlums looted bags of rice, maize, corn and beans, as well as generators, wrappers, mattresses and plastic buckets, among others, from NEMA facility. He said the hoodlums also vandalised and looted facilities at the NEMA office that were recently reconstructed and furnished.
Another source said the hoodlums, who attempted to break into a Silo, but were not successful, later moved to attack other government storage facilities. At least, three of the hoodlums were believed to have died while several others were arrested.
Police Public Relations Officer in Adamawa, Suleiman Nguroje, who confirmed the incident, said the police and other security operatives had been deployed to protect critical assets and infrastructure.
Nguroje said 44 people involved in the activities of stealing food and non-food items in government warehouses have been arrested. He called on the public to be law abiding and assured that security operatives will recover some of the items and arrest the looters.