Wike reviews curfew from 7p.m to 6a.m

The Rivers Government has reviewed the existing night curfew imposed on the state.

Gov. Nyesom Wike said the curfew will now begin from 7p.m.to 6a.m. daily with effect from Tuesday until further notice.

The curfew was initially from 10p.m. to 6a.m. daily.

Wike gave the directive in a state broadcast on Monday after the state Security Council meeting.

He said that the decision was taken in the wake of multiple armed ambush on police checkpoints along the East-West road, which resulted in the cold-blooded murder of seven police officers over the weekend.

He stated that the way and manner the recent attacks were executed made review of the curfew necessary, as it was discovered that the perpetrators, who disguised themselves as security officers, moved in unhindered from Oyigbo to launch the attack.

“However, as a further step towards enhancing our collective safety, we have reviewed the existing night time curfew across the 23 Local Government Areas, to now start from 7 p.m. and end at 6 a.m., until further notice from Tuesday, May 11.

“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 youths to defend the state from these terrorists.

“We do not want to complicate our very delicate security situation by creating opportunities for some other monsters to emerge,” Wike said.

Wike, consoled families of the dead officers and the Police Command for the irreparable loss.

He said that the government and security agencies are determined to deploy everything at their disposal to advance the safety and security of lives and property in the state.

He explained that security agencies are on the trail of the gunmen who attacked the security formations in the state and expressed optimism that the culprits would all be arrested soon and brought to justice.

Wike reiterated the commitment of the state government to defeat the evil forces presently threatening the individual and collective security of the state.

“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,” he said.

He appealed to residents of the state for understanding as the state government is not unmindful of the difficulty the curfew may inflict on them.

The governor assured them that the state government aimed at achieving and sustaining the maximum security of lives and property.

Wike urged the public to understand that security is everybody’s business and encourage them to report any criminal act in their area to the law enforcement agencies to save lives and properties in the state.