Police arrest 14 in Plateau for violating curfew

The Plateau State Command says it has arrested 14 suspected violators of the 24-hour curfew earlier imposed in Jos, the state capital, and its environs.

The state Commissioner of Police, Emmanuel Adesina, disclosed this shortly after the State Security Council meeting on Monday in Jos.

The state government on Sunday imposed a 24-hour curfew in the Jos-Bukuru metropolis, following the outbreak of violence and looting by some protesters in the Jos North Local Government Area of the state.

Adesina said that the activities of miscreants, who hijacked the peaceful protest in the state, forced the state government 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.

On his part, the governor’s Special Adviser on Security, Brig.-Gen. Gakji Shipi (retd.), called on residents of the state to eschew 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.

NAN reports that the security meeting was presided over by Governor Caleb Mutfwang.

NAN