Government imposes dusk-to-dawn curfew on Gboko town

The Benue Government has imposed a dusk-to-dawn curfew on Gboko town in Gboko Local Government Area of the state beginning from Jan. 31 till further notice.

Speaking to Journalists on Wednesday in Makurdi, the Police Commissioner in the state, Mr Fatai Owoseni, said the curfew was approved by the State Security Council whose meeting was chaired by Gov. Samuel Ortom.

Owoseni said the curfew would be from 6 p.m. to 6 a.m.

He explained that the curfew followed the killing of 7 persons by hoodlums in Gboko.

He said the victims who were suspected to be Herdsmen were beaten to death at the Gboko motor park and burnt to ashes.

The commissioner said some of the victims came to the park to travel to Okene, while some were on their way to Taraba.

He said the situation in the town had been brought under control and assured that those responsible for the murder of the victims and their sponsors would be apprehended and brought to book.

He said strict measures had been adopted to ensure compliance with the curfew, stressing that police personnel were well equipped to enforce it.

Owoseni disclosed that criminal elements both within and outside the state were planning to carry out more reprehensible attacks on the state along its borders with Nasarawa State.

He said that the planned attacks were being facilitated by those who equipped their “foot soldiers” with illegal arms.

He warned that the police would not allow the state to be thrown into commotion and anarchy.

The commissioner also warned of the danger of possible escalation of the security situation in the state and assured that the police would not hesitate to arrest anybody found to be connected with the crimes, no matter how highly placed.

He said the police were monitoring those suspected to be stockpiling arms and that the law was “no respecter of persons’’.