The Adamawa State Governor, Ahmadu Fintiri on Sunday imposed a 24-hour curfew on the state following the escalating attacks of hoodlums breaking into warehouses and carting away foodstuffs and other valuables.
This was made known by the Governor on his verified Twitter handle.
Fintiri said the decision was made as a precaution to prevent the escalating violence by hoodlums attacking people and businesses.
NIGERIACRIME learnt that hoodlums broke into government warehouses and some private stores in the morning of Sunday and carted away food and non-food items kept in those facilities.
The governor said, “Effective immediately Sunday, July 30, 2023, I, Governor Ahmadu Umaru Fintiri, have declared a 24-hour curfew in Adamawa State due to escalating violence by hoodlums attacking people and businesses.
“No movement is allowed, except for essential duties with valid ID. Your safety is our priority – please comply for the well-being of all,” he wrote.
Meanwhile, the Adamawa State Police Command said on Sunday evening that its operatives had arrested 25 youths allegedly involved in the looting that took place earlier in the day in Yola, the state capital.
Addressing newsmen on the incident, Police Public Relations Officer SP Suleiman Nguroje said the 25 suspects were picked up and the items they stole were recovered from them.
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Assuring that the looting had been brought under control, Nguroje said attention had shifted to enforcing the statewide curfew imposed by the governor.
Nguroje said the state Commissioner of Police, Afolabi Babatola, who personally went into the streets to supervise compliance with the curfew, had to set up a task force to firm up compliance.
“Not quite satisfied with the initial level of compliance, the CP constituted a task force involving personnel from the operations department and sister agencies,” Nguroje said, assuring that the curfew was now fully in place.
Similarly, the Yola area office of the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) has been confirmed as one of the establishments affected by the Sunday morning looting in Yola.
The Yola area head of operations of the agency, Ladan Ayuba, who addressed newsmen alongside the police PRO, said the hoodlums accessed the stores of the agency by breaking down the walls and taking away food and non-food items kept there.
“It’s sad because the items in those stores were meant to be distributed to poor Nigerians to cushion the hardship they are facing,” he said.