Governor Wike extends curfew in Rivers State
Governor Wike extends curfew in Rivers State due to the rapid increase in criminal activities in the state ranging from kidnappings, robbery, and killings.
Nyesom Wike, the Rivers State Governor, has extended the curfew imposed on the state from 7 pm to 6 am, with effect from today, Tuesday 11, 2021, in order to reduce the effects of the dastardly attacks on security formations in different parts of the state.
In a statewide broadcast yesterday (Monday, 10, 2021), Wike stated that the curfew had been reviewed from the earlier time which was meant to run from 10 pm to 6 am due to new information gathered.
He said the decision was taken in the light of multiple armed ambushes on police checkpoints along the East-West road which resulted in the cold-blooded murder of seven police officers over the weekend.
Also, he added that the State Security Council at a meeting reviewed the way and manner the recent attacks were executed and discovered that the perpetrators disguised themselves as security officers which allowed them to move easily from Oyigbo to launch the attack.
“As a further step towards enhancing our collective safety, we have reviewed the existing nighttime curfew across the 23 Local Government Areas, which will now start from 7 pm and end at 6 am until further notice from tomorrow 11th May 2021.
“The security agencies are hereby directed to note the new curfew time, ensure strict compliance and effectively deal with any person or group that violates or attempts to violate it.
“We have reviewed, and for the moment, declined the pressure on the State Government to activate our youth to defend the state from these terrorists because we don’t want to complicate our very delicate security situation by creating opportunities for some other monsters to emerge.”
Furthermore, the Governor explained that security agencies are searching for the gunmen who attacked security formations in the state. He assured everyone in his statement that the police are optimistic the culprits will all be arrested and brought to justice.
“We wish to assure every resident that we are not intimidated by the sporadic and cowardly attacks on predetermined security targets by faceless criminals on our soil; neither will we be cowed into succumbing to a baseless and doomed secessionists agenda.
“We further appeal to the public to understand that security is everybody’s business and play their own roles, especially in passing intelligence information to the law enforcement agencies to process and take pre-emptive measures to counter and advance our collective security.
Finally, the Governor gave a vote of thanks to the residents for their cooperation with the nation’s security agencies to keep the people safe.
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