Southern Kaduna Killings: El-Rufai Relaxes Curfew on Kaura Jema’a LGAs
Nasir El-Rufai
By John Shiklam
The Kaduna State Government has reviewed the 24-hour curfew in two of the four local government areas in the southern part of the state.
Zangon Kataf, Kauru, Kaura and Jama’a had been under a 24-hour curfew following mass killings and destructions.
In a statement on Thursday in Kaduna, Samuel Aruwan, the Commissioner for Internal Security & Home Affairs, said the curfew hours in Jama’a and Kaura LGAs have been been reviewed to commence from 6pm to 6am daily.
He however said the 24-hour curfew imposed on Zangon Kataf and Kauru will be sustained and closely monitored.
Aruwan said: “Following a review, the military and police carrying out internal security operations in southern Kaduna have recommended that the curfew hours in Jema’a and Kaura LGAs be reduced.
“Accordingly, the curfew hours in Jema’a and Kaura LGAs will be from 6pm to 6am daily, effective today.
“However, the 24-hour curfew in Kauru and Zangon Kataf LGAs will be sustained, while close monitoring of the security situation in the two LGAs continues.”
On June 11, the state government imposed a 24-hour curfew on Kauru and Zangon Kataf following clashes arising from the killing of a farmer in the area by unknown persons.
The incident led to an orgy of killings and destruction of property.
The 24-hour curfew was later extended to Jama’a and Kaura council areas when suspected Fulani herdsmen invaded villages in the areas, killing many people.
The killings had continued unabated despite the curfew as the bandits raided communities and slaughtered people, especially women and children.
Property worth millions of naira were destroyed with thousands of displaced people in several internally displaced people’s (IDP) camps.
The communities had kicked against the curfew, saying that it was not the solution to the mayhem, alleging that rather it “provided an enabling environment for the bandits” to unleash mayhem on them without any challenge coming from the security personnel deployed in the area.
