By Ben Adaji, Jalingo

Taraba has imposed a 24-hour curfew on Jalingo, the state capital.

Deputy Governor, Alhaji Haruna Manu, who declared this in a state broadcast on Saturday night, said  the curfew became necessary to forestall breakdown of law and order.

He announced the curfew which takes effect from 11: 30 on Saturday night will last till 8am on Monday when the state government may review the situation.

“Following certain bad happenings in the state and around the country, government has decided to impose a curfew on Jalingo, the state capital to forestall further breakdown of law and order. The curfew will run from 11:00pm on Saturday to 8am on Monday as government will thereafter review the situation.

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“At about 5pm in the evening of today, Saturday, the 24th day of October 2020, vandals forced their way into government warehouses and looted essential commodities meant for distribution as palliatives in the state.

“Similarly, troublemakers are continuing to lay siege on the streets of the state capital which informed government’s decision to impose the 24 hour curfew to stop the situation from degenerating into mayhem,” he said.

Manu noted as a responsible government, urgent necessary steps had to be taken to protect lives and properties in the state.

Manu directed security agencies to be extra vigilant and stop trouble makers from seizing the opportunity to cause further destructions to lives and property and appeal that the security must act within the confines of the law by protecting the human rights.

“Let me specifically appeal to our teeming youths to be law abiding so that their disposition can help government tame the hoodlums perpetuating this breach of public peace. Let me also call on all our law-abiding citizens to remain calm and not panic as their security is guaranteed,” part of the text reads.

The Nation had reported irate youths on Saturday night broke into five main warehouses belonging to the Taraba Government and carted away food items meant to be distributed to the people to cushion the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic.