Residents of Kaduna metropolis have received the 24-hour curfew imposed by the state government with mixed reactions.
The state government announced
the imposition of the curfew on Tuesday after its Security Council meeting which reviewed the ongoing petrol price hike protest and the attendant nationwide strike called by the organised labour.
Alarmed by the dimension the protest was taking, the state government on Tuesday evening slammed the curfew to prevent the strike from being hijacked by hoodlums.
Mr Sa’idu Adamu, the Commissioner for Information, said that the curfew was introduced following security reports that suspected hoodlums had started attacking innocent citizens in parts of the state.
But reacting to the restriction of movement order, the state NLC Chairman, Malam Adamu Ango, described it as a big surprise.
“We (organisers) are on top of the situation and had even called off the street protest from Wednesday, Jan. 11 by the afternoon of Tuesday, Jan. 10 to prevent any crisis.
“Labour and the organised civil society are jointly monitoring the event closely with security agencies to ensure a peaceful and orderly conduct by the protesters.
“But we were jolted by the news and regard the move as a big surprise designed to weaken our action,’’ said the labour leader.
On his part, Mr Tajudeen Oladoja, the state Coordinator of “Occupy Nigeria’’, a civil society organisation, expressed shock that the government still went ahead to impose the curfew after the protest had been suspended.
He said the imposition could compound the problem at hand.
“As organisers of the nationwide protest, we pledged and ensured irate persons did not hijack the process,’’ Oladoja said,
lauding the protesters for burying their ethno-religious and political differences to express their rejection of the petrol price hike and security challenges.
A restaurant operator, Mrs Christy David, said the curfew might appear to be good, the residents would lack food as some of her customers were already crying of hunger.
Mr Emmanuel Anche, a resident of Kaduna South Local Government Area, applauded the curfew only “if the intention is to prevent security breaches’’.
Similarly, Hajiya Maimunat Ibrahim, a housewife at Anguwan Sarki in the Kaduna North Local Government Area, noted that the curfew would deter miscreants from exploiting the situation.
She, however, advised the government against prolonging the curfew to prevent any ventilation of frustration resulting from hunger and want by the affected residents.
For Mr Abdullahi Abubakar, a resident at the Anguwan Rimi Low-Cost Housing Estate, the curfew was uncalled for as the protesters were orderly, peaceful and law-abiding.
“I was taken aback by the announcement because the organisers have suspended further street protest ahead of the government’s decision to impose the curfew.
“I wonder why the curfew now as labour has embraced dialogue!’’