Buhari backs Christmas day curfew on Kaduna communities

•Two military formations underway to quell attacks

President Muhammadu Buhari has backed the curfew imposed Wednesday on Zangon-Kataf, Kaura and Jama’a local councils by the Kaduna State government to stem the crisis in the affected areas. Consequently, he ordered the arrest and prosecution of the perpetrators.

In announcing the curfew through a statement, the media aide to Governor Nasir El-Rufai, Samuel Aruwan, had said the State Security Council also banned processions and unlawful assembly in any part of the state.
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Briefing reporters yesterday after a closed-door meeting with the President in Abuja, the governor said the imposition of the curfew, including on Christmas day, had been sanctioned by the presidency and would last for only 12 hours.

“I came to brief the President about the situation in Southern Kaduna, what happened in the last few days and outlined the measures we have been taking as a state government with the support of the Army, the police and the Department of State Security.”

Specifically, El-Rufai said the President gave the nod for the prosecution of the perpetrators. “So, we have the full support of the President to move on and we are quite confident that things will return to normalcy very soon,” he said.

To address the issue headlong, the governor said two military formations are to be established within the troubled zone.He told newsmen on Wednesday night in Kaduna that the proposed formations are to be sited in Sanga and Kauru local councils.

He added: “We are talking with the President, Minister of Defence and Chief of Army Staff to site two military formations in Southern Kaduna. One in Fadan Karshi in Sanga and the other in Kauru Local Government Area. And I will meet the President tomorrow (yesterday) in continuation of the project.

“The presence of these two military formations will help in securing lives and properties as well as providing rapid response to any act of criminality and maintaining of law and order. Two other military formations will be established in Birnin Gwari and Kubau local government areas.”