Kano residents lament 24-hour curfew

Residents, particularly enterprise homeowners, of Kano, the industrial hub of Northern Nigeria, are counting losses after the police imposed a 24-hour curfew following the judgement of the Governorship Election Petition Tribunal on Wednesday.

After deducting greater than 165,000 votes scored by the ruling social gathering through the 18 March governorship election, the tribunal sacked the state governor, Abba Yusuf.

The tribunal mentioned the ballots containing the votes weren’t licensed by the Impartial Nationwide Electoral Fee (INEC).

After deducting the votes, the tribunal introduced that the candidate of the opposition All Progressives Congress, Gawuna Nasir, was the winner of the election.

The governor has, nevertheless, introduced that he will probably be interesting the judgement of the tribunal.

The police commissioner of the state, Muhammed Gumel, mentioned the curfew was essential to protect regulation and order within the state.

The curfew took impact from 6 p.m. on Wednesday, 20 September (to) 6 p.m. on Thursday, twenty first September. The police mentioned violators can be arrested and made to face the total wrath of the regulation.

Non-essential companies have been closed through the interval of the curfew, PREMIUM TIMES observed.

Main markets within the state – the Kantin Kwari Textile market, Wambai markets, Abubakar Rimi market and Singer markets have been closed on Thursday afternoon when our reporter went round to establish the effectiveness of the curfew.

Our reporter met some merchants at residence each within the Tudun Yola space of Gwale and Fagge Native Governments who mentioned the curfew was pointless and punitive.

“I doubt if the police bought their safety report appropriate, individuals are in search of what to eat virtually each day, and no one is considering of quarrelling. I do know a number of folks within the markets who can feed their households provided that they go to the market and do enterprise. Limiting these folks from motion stored them in starvation for a complete day, mentioned Auwalu Isah, a resident of Tudun Yola.

One other dealer, Shazali Ibrahim, additionally from Tudun Yola, mentioned the curfew introduced again recollections of the devastating COVID-19 pandemic that just about ruined his enterprise.

“I’m nonetheless being affected by the coronavirus lockdown as a result of it was throughout that lockdown, I tempered with my enterprise capital, I’m managing to outlive available in the market, so something lockdown won’t ever be tolerated by me and this curfew by the police simply brings again the dangerous recollections,” Mr Ibrahim mentioned.

READ ALSO: Kano governor rejects tribunal judgment, heads to Attraction Court docket

Tasiu Abdulrazak, a textile enterprise proprietor on the Kantin Kwari market, in a phone dialog with PREMIUM TIMES, mentioned the influence of the curfew could subsist for a number of weeks’ influence on the enterprise as clients from neighbouring states will probably be sceptical about coming to Kano.

“The issue with the safety subject in Kano is that’s scaring folks away from coming to the state to purchase and promote as a result of merchants are terrified of battle and no one will danger his life and cash to return to a spot the place it’s not safe.

“This curfew can have a number of weeks of influence on the companies as a result of merchants coming from a manner will keep away considering that every one isn’t nicely. As I spoke with you I’ve acquired a number of telephone calls from my clients exterior the state asking that a number of folks have been killed which isn’t true, however the curfew is telling them that one thing is incorrect with the state, Mr Abdulrazak mentioned.