Governor Umaru Bago announced the curfew when he received the Minister of Interior, Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo, and his entourage on a sympathy visit over the death of 37 suspected illegal miners in the custody of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) in the state..
Bago said the curfew would commence immediately after Friday prayers, directing all businesses in the state capital to shut down.
He said the measure was necessary to prevent further destruction and restore calm in the city.
“Immediately after the Friday mosque, we are putting a 24-hour curfew here in Minna. The buses in the state transport company have been vandalised, people’s businesses destroyed.
“Vandals are taking over the streets, and there is a need to curtail all these to have calm,” the governor said.
Bago appealed to residents to remain calm, exercise restraint and be patient while the government worked to unravel the circumstances surrounding the incident.
He thanked the minister for visiting the state and for the immediate suspension of the NSCDC State Commandant.
The governor said the government was committed to getting to the root of the matter and restoring peace in the state capital.
It will be recalled that security forces opened fire in the Tunga area of Minna on Friday as hundreds of people took to the streets to protest against the deaths of the 37 miners
The miners, mostly youths, were found dead on Thursday in the cells of the NSCDC which had raided suspected illegal gold mines and locked up dozens of miners in Minna.
A witness told Reuters News Agency that he saw security forces fire live rounds as protesters – some armed with sticks, machetes and traditional hunting rifles – called for justice. Some protesters tried to set fire to government buildings in the Tunga neighbourhood.
