There was pandemonium in Kaduna Monday, when traders troopped out at the Sabon Garri/Trikania markets for business activities, but armed policemen were said to have allegedly opened fire to disperse them in order to enforce the COVID-19 lockdown order.
A fracas ensured during the shooting, which led to killing 6 of the youths in the area.
The Police Spokesman in the State, Mohammad Jalige said that the Command has got the reports of the fracas, “but we are expecting the report of the DPO in the area”.
An eyewitness at the scene however told Journalists that the bloody incident which started around 3pm in the afternoon, saw the traders at the Sabon Garri/Trikania market, in Chukun Local Government Area defying the lockdown order by the Government to attend to the teaming buyers of foodstuff.
The witness who gave his name as Mallam Nasir Marina said, “the civilian joint task force came to the market to disperse the traders, but they did not comply”, saying that “when their directives were not obeyed by the market traders, the civilian JTF now went and brought armed policemen to enforce the lockdown”.
” There was confusion because several of the youths in the area came out and the police started shooting. As a result six of the youths were killed”.
However, the Police Command Spokesman, Jalige who spoke with journalists on phone said that “at this point I cannot comment on the issue until we receive full details of the incident from the DPO in that area”.
Meanwhile, in an earlier statement by the media Aide to the Governor, Muyiwa Adekeye on the compliance level to the lockdown in the State following the spread of Covid-19, he said the the Government may be forced to maintain the 24 hour curfew without giving window for restocking for food stuff.
Adekeye Lamented that the compliance level to the lockdown in the State by the citizens is poor, therefore the Government will be left with no option than maintaining the 24 hour curfew.
He said: “It will be recalled that the State Government had reviewed the 24 hour lockdown last Wednesday, by giving a two-day window of Tuesday and Wednesday every week, to enable residents buy food and other essential commodities.”
According to Adekeye, “the State Task Force on Covid-19 met with representatives of traders and resolved that dealers of foodstuff and essential commodities are permitted to bring in and offload their goods five times in a week, including Mondays, Thursdays, Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays.”
The statement stressed that palliatives are being distributed from clusters to households and in some local governments, the target beneficiaries have already received deliveries.
‘’However, to ensure more transparency and accountability, the Palliatives Committee will work with credible Civil Society Organisations(CSOs), to monitor the distribution,’’ she added.
Making reference to the broadcast of the Deputy Governor, Dr Hadiza Balarabe, Adekeye explained that the administration has ‘’ put in place a robust system to check abuse and diversion of these essential commodities as a Government which is anchored on integrity.’
‘’Notwithstanding, no system is completely foolproof and in any case, another layer of monitoring will only improve on what is on ground’’.
