Ekiti Imposes 24-Hour Curfew, Becomes Third State To Undergo Lockdown

The Ekiti state government on Tuesday imposed a 24-hour curfew across the state becoming the third state, after Edo and Lagos, to take such action.

The state government announced the development in a statement by Biodun Oyebanji, the secretary to the state government.

He said the #EndSARS protest, which started as a peaceful protest against police brutality has been hijacked by some hoodlums.

Babajide Sanwo-Olu, the governor of Lagos state, also imposed a 24-hour curfew in the state on Tuesday following a similar action by Godwin Obaseki, the Edo state governor, on Monday.

According to Oyebanji, the curfew will be effective 10pm on Tuesday.

“The hoodlums have capitalised on the #EndSARS protest to rape. assault. rob and extort innocent citizens across the state. These are in addition to the wanton destruction of properties. particularly private properties.

“For the purpose of clarity, the government continues to show understanding and responsiveness to the demands of the legitimate protesters.

“Government therefore cannot afford to watch a deliberate enthronement of anarchy by some bad elements who have hijacked the protest for some clandestine reasons.”

According to the statement, only essential workers and service providers with valid means of identifications are allowed to move around during the period of the curfew.

“Any person found on the street that does not belong to this category. would be promptly arrested and prosecuted according to the laws of Ekiti state,” the state government said.