Ekiti State Governor, Dr Kayode Fayemi, has imposed a 24-hour curfew on the state effective from 10pm on Tuesday (today).
Fayemi said the curfew followed the state governrment’s observation “with growing concern how the ENDSARS protest, which started as a peaceful protest against police brutality by youths in Ekiti State, has been hijacked by some hoodlums.”
He said, “The hoodlums have capitalised on the ENDSARS protest to rape, assault, rob and extort innocent citizens across the State. These are besides the wanton destruction of properties, particularly private properties.”
The governor, in a statement by the Secretary to the State Government, Mr Biodun Oyebanji, on Tuesday titled, ‘Fayemi imposes 24-hour curfew on Ekiti, said, “Government is concerned that if this state of affairs is allowed to continue unabated, it will lead to a breakdown of law and order thereby threatening the wellbeing of the people of Ekiti State.”
“In the past 48 hours there have been incidents of gang-rape, robberies, physical assaults on innocent people, looting and burning of a police station. These acts of brigandage are not in consoce with the legitimate aspirations of the protesters. It can't be logical to seek to remedy impunity with impunity.
“Government, therefore, can't afford to watch a deliberate enthronement of anarchy by some bad elements who have hijacked the protest for some clandestine reasons. Consequently, the Governor of Ekiti State, Dr Fayemi, hereby imposes a 24-hour curfew on all parts of the State starting from 10 pm tonight, Tuesday, October, 20, 2020.
“Only essential workers and service providers with valid means of identifications are allowed to move around during the period of the curfew. Any person found on the street that doesn't belong to this category, would be promptly arrested and prosecuted according to the laws of Ekiti State,” Fayemi explained.