Curfew declared in Nigerian state after warehouses and shops are looted

By Chinedu Asadu, ABUJA Nigeria

Residents of northeastern Nigeria’s Adamawa state were prohibited from leaving home Monday as authorities enforced a 24-hour lockdown period in response to what they said was widespread looting of shops and warehouses.

Governor Ahmadu Umaru Fintiri declared the around-the-clock curfew Sunday in response to “escalating violence by hoodlums attacking people and businesses” in the state capital, his spokesperson said in a statement.

The statement alleged the law-breakers assaulted residents in Yola while breaking into businesses and homes and “carting away property.”

Several government policies introduced by Nigerian President Bola Tinubu, who took office in late May, have further squeezed millions of people battling with hunger and poverty in Africa’s biggest economy. The government ended decades-long gasoline subsidies, more than doubling the price of gas and causing a spike in prices of food and other essential commodities.

Images posted on social media appeared to show youths in Yola running away from shops carrying bags and household items. Additional security forces were deployed to the city, where the situation appeared calm as of Monday morning.

The state police command said it arrested 44 suspects and was investigating Sunday’s unrest. “Items like water pumps and seeds looted from the stores were seized from the suspects,” police spokesman Suleiman Nguroje said.