NIGERIAN officials announced a nighttime curfew for the northern city of Kano on Monday after clashes between police and protesters seeking to storm the governor’s office left two people dead.

“Following the sad incidents in the city today where some hoodlums hijacked a peaceful protest by labour unions, the state government hereby imposes a 14-hour curfew,” Kano state information commissioner Faruk Jubril told journalists.

“Starting from tonight, people are hereby ordered to remain indoors between 6:00 pm and 8:00 am until further notice. This is to ensure maintenance of law and order.”

The police commissioner for Kano state, where Kano city is the capital, said the authorities were forced to respond to the violence.

He confirmed one person killed, seven injured and 23 arrested. A hospital source said earlier that two people died from gunshot wounds in Kano.

Protests were held as part of a nationwide strike that kicked off on Monday over soaring petrol prices in Africa’s most populous nation and largest oil producer.

“The protest organised by the labour unions was going on peacefully and the protesters had the permission of police to march from the labour secretariat to the race course for their rally,” Police Commissioner Ibrahim Idris said.

“Suddenly from nowhere a group of criminals besieged the government house and tried to force themselves in. They overpowered the policemen on duty, who had to seek reinforcements from soldiers to disperse the rampaging crowd.”

-Guardian

Posted by admin on Jan 10 2012. Filed under Headlines, Kano, State News. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. You can leave a response or trackback to this entry