Borno Reviews Curfew as Taraba Police Place N10m Bounty on Lawmaker’s Killers

The Borno State Government on  Friday stopped the three weeks  extended curfew on the state,  which was emplaced to allow for  massive clampdown on Boko  Haram enclaves across the  troubled state.
This is as the Taraba State Police  Command has offered N10m  reward for anyone with useful  information that could lead to the arrest of the killers of member of  Taraba State House of Assembly,  Hon. Hosea Ibi. The State  Commissioner of police, Mr. Dave Akinremi disclosed this at a Press  briefing in Jalingo Friday.
With the latest decision, the  curfew in Borno State returns to  10:30 pm to 6am daily, beginning from today.
The state had on the advice of  the military on Friday January 5,  this year extended the curfew  time by two hours, from between 10pm -6pm to 8:pm- 6am, in  order to give room for a special  operation launched against Boko  Haram.
Speaking to journalists on Friday,  the Borno State Commissioner for Home Affairs, Information and  Culture, Dr. Mohammed Bulama,  said, “The three weeks 8pm to  6am curfew imposed on  Maiduguri and Jere have been  relaxed beginning from tomorrow (Saturday 20th January 2018).
He said: “Government after due  consultation with the Theatre  Commander ‘Operation Lafiya  Dole’ Major General Nicholas  Rogers and other relevant  security agencies decided to  review the curfew to 10:30pm to  6am.”
He said: “Government once again deeply regrets the  understandably difficult situation  the development inevitably  created, as well as the great  inconvenience the general public  had suffered during the three  weeks 8pm to 6am curfew,”  adding that “the decision was  taken to safeguard collective  security and well-being of the  citizenry.
“Government therefore urges all  indigenes and residents of Borno  State to cooperate with all  security agencies in the fight  against Boko Haram and be  vigilante by reporting any  suspicious movement in their  community to security operatives  tame the menace of insurgents  and other criminal activities in the state.”
He assured that: “Government  under the leadership of Governor Kashim Shettima will always  sacrifice all to ensure peace,  stability, development and  progress of not only our dear  State, but Nigeria as a whole.
He added that: “We also  appreciated the understanding,  support and cooperation of the  general public and urged them to be law abiding, as very soon, the  state will be declared curfew- free at all times.”
The slain lawmaker, who  represented Takum I  constituency in the Assembly was abducted on the 30th of  December 2017 at his home in  Takum and was later found dead  in the bush at Kwari village along  Takum-Kashimbila road on  Monday, 15th January, 2018 after an undisclosed amount was paid  as ransom to the kidnappers.
The Police Commissioner told  newsmen that before Ibi was  killed, the Command was doing  everything possible to track his  kidnappers saying they must  have carried out the dastardly act to cover their track and divert  attention.
Insisting that the perpetrators  killed the lawmaker in order not  to leave any trace that could lead  to their arrest, Akinremi told  journalists that men of his  command were closing in on the  kidnappers before the body of  the deceased was discovered.
“It is believe that the abductors  killed the lawmaker to divert the  attention of security agencies and to make sure they did not leave  any trace that could lead to their  arrest”
Assuring the people of the state  that the command would stop at  nothing to ensure the  perpetrators are arrested and  brought to book, the Police boss  assured anybody with useful  information on the confidentiality of such information.
“We want to reassure all residents of the confidentiality of the  information given to us in this  regard” just as he enjoined the  people of the state to remain  calm saying the command will  not leave any stone unturned to  guarantee security of lives and  properties in the state.