Curfew declared in Nigerian state after warehouses and shops are looted

By CHINEDU ASADU
Associated Press

ABUJA, Nigeria (AP) — Residents of northeastern Nigeria’s Adamawa state have been prohibited from leaving home as authorities enforce a 24-hour lockdown period in response to what they said was widespread looting of shops and warehouses. Gov. 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 in Yola assaulted residents 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.