Curfew and market closure imposed in Nigerian town of abducted girls

Authorities in Nigeria’s Zamfara state declared a curfew and closed market activities after violence marred the return of hundreds of kidnapped schoolgirls to their families, state spokesperson said .

Late Wednesday gunfire and chaos erupted over what should have been the joyous return of 279 schoolgirls abducted by gunmen from their boarding school last week.

The government secured the girls’ release on Tuesday, but they had undergone medical checks and treatment.

At least three people were shot dead, but it is not known by whom. A Reuters witness saw police firing tear gas at a group of protesters outside the school and soldiers shooting in the air, after impatient parents barged in and grabbed their children to bring them back at home.

Zamfara State spokesman Sulaiman Tunau Anka on Thursday called it “unfortunate civil disobedience” and said the governor had imposed a dusk-to-dawn curfew in the town of Jangebe. to prevent a further breach of the peace.

Anka also said market activities would be suspended until further notice, as authorities uncovered “solid evidence” that these activities aided and abetted bandits. He didn’t elaborate.

“The state government is ready to ensure the security of the lives and property of its citizens at all costs,” said Anka.

Earlier this week, President Muhammadu Buhari ordered a massive military deployment to Zamfara, banned mining and imposed a no-fly zone in the state.

United Nations experts on Wednesday condemned the Nigerian government for “the lack of an effective investigation into the kidnapping of 344 students from a boarding school for boys in Kankara, Katsina state, in December 2020 and released for a few days. later”.

Experts also called for the urgent rehabilitation of traumatized students.

“The social inclusion of these children requires the establishment of long-term measures aimed at restoring their physical and psychological well-being,” said UN special procedures human rights experts in a statement.

“Raising awareness among families and communities of the importance of reintegration is imperative so that they are able to build renewed social relationships… and overcome stigma.”

Heavily armed criminal gangs in northwest and central Nigeria have stepped up their attacks in recent years, kidnapping for ransom, raping and looting.