Governor Samuel Ortom of Benue State has imposed a 6 pm to 6 am restriction on commercial motorcyclists after violence erupted in the state capital, Makurdi, on Saturday. Ortom, who announced the decision after a security council meeting, told journalists that the violence erupted between indigenes and some non-indigenes, following the killing of one person on Friday.
In the course of burying the dead, some aggrieved youths, however, went on a rampage destroying property and creating panic. The violence prompted the emergency meeting of security council meeting and the decision to restrict the operation of commercial motorcycle operators. Ahead of the meeting, the governor issued a statement through his Special Adviser on Media and ICT, Tahav Agerzua, appealing to residents of the state to remain calm and report any breach of peace to security agencies.
The governor, while appealing for calm, told residents that the state has suffered too much loss in terms of human life and property and could not afford another round of crisis. He condemned the protest and violence in Makurdi and directed the police to arrest those who cause trouble whoever they are, investigate the causes of the protests, and prosecute those responsible for breach of the peace.
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