Borno State Government has lifted current curfew in Maiduguri on Friday and Saturday night in order to ease mobility of voters, especially Internally Displaced Persons, who may have to move to different parts of the state capital to exercise their civic rights.
Secretary to the State Government, Ambassador Baba Jidda, in a statement on Friday, said the curfew had to be lifted due to reports of traffic congestion in certain parts of the state capital as people rushed to beat the curfew on Friday.
Jidda said, “The government reached this decision after reviewing reports about traffic congestion in many parts of Maiduguri and Jere as a result of determined efforts by citizens to finalise routines ahead of Saturday’s governorship and state Assembly elections.
“Lifting the curfew is aimed at making sure that citizens are not subjected to any form of harassment, which may arise where traffic delays prevent them from returning to destinations on time.
“The government commends all citizens for their enthusiasm and urge them to freely vote any candidate of their choice in any of the registered political parties in line with their fundamental rights.”
He however called on citizens to go about their activities in obedience with the laws of the land during the suspension of the curfew, urging them to report suspicious persons or movements to the appropriate authorities.
The SSG noted that the curfew had always been a painful decision of government, adding that the curfew would become operationalon Sunday night.
