The Plateau State Police Command has announced the arrest of 14 suspected offenders of the previously enforced 24-hour curfew in Jos, the state capital, and its surrounding areas.
The state Commissioner of Police, Emmanuel Adesina, made the announcement shortly after the State Security Council meeting in Jos on Monday.
The state administration imposed a 24-hour curfew in Jos-Bukuru on Sunday in response to an outbreak of violence and looting by certain demonstrators in the state’s government area.
Adesina stated that miscreants hijacked a peaceful protest in the state, forcing the state administration to impose the 24-hour curfew.
“As you all know, the nationwide protest in the state was going on peacefully, until yesterday when some miscreants hijacked it and started looting public and private assets in the state.
“The state government immediately imposed a curfew to curtail activities of the miscreants; the curfew is still in place.
“Our resolution of this meeting is that we shall fully and vigorously enforce the curfew; anyone caught violating it will be prosecuted.
”So far, we have arrested 14 violators and we want to warn residents to stay indoors pending when the curfew is reviewed by government,” he warned.
The governor’s Special Adviser on Security, Brig.-Gen. Gakji Shipi (retd.), urged inhabitants of the state to avoid violence and give peace a chance.
“This government is doing everything possible to ensure Plateau is peaceful but the bad eggs among us will not relent in tarnishing our good image.
“We want to appeal to all citizens to eschew all forms of violence and explore peaceful means of coexistence; our citizens should desist from incitement.
“As a government, we will continue to support the security agencies in their bid toward a peaceful and virile Plateau,” Shipi said.
According to NAN, the security meeting was presided over by Governor Caleb Mutfwang.
NAN
