Residents of most parts of Lagos State have not been compliant with the curfew imposed by the Lagos State Government in the aftermath of the violence and destruction in some areas of the state, investigations by our correspondents have shown.
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An 8pm-6am curfew had been put in place by the governor, Babajide Sanwo-Olu, initially after hoodlums, who hijacked the #EndSARS protests, ravaged parts of the state, looting and burning public property.
On Friday, the state government relaxed the curfew, making it from 10pm to 6am, according to a release by the Commissioner for Information and Strategy, Mr Gbenga Omotoso.
“The Lagos State Government has announced a further relaxation of the curfew imposed after the breakdown of law and order, following the hijack of the peaceful #EndSARS protests. The curfew will now be from 10pm till 6am.
“Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu praises Lagosians for observing the curfew, which is expected to restore normalcy to our communities. He urges all Lagosians to go about their business in peace, even as they shun actions that can threaten our unity. The governor advises purveyors of fake news to stop causing disaffection among Lagosians,” the statement read.
Meanwhile, in Ojodu-Berger, Ogba, Abule Egba, Oshodi, Agege, among other areas, our correspondents observed that the earlier imposed 8pm-6am curfew was not complied with.
At Ojodu-Berger, one of our correspondents observed that despite the curfew, there were still human and vehicular movements while some shops were also open. No policeman was seen enforcing the curfew.
Some shop owners, who displayed their wares after 8pm, told one of our correspondents that they believed the government had lifted the curfew, arguing that that could be the only reason why there had not been policemen to enforce it.
A shop owner on Odozi Street, simply identified as Chidinma, who sells foodstuffs, said, “I heard the government has reviewed the curfew and it is now 8pm to 6am, but I want to believe it has been lifted. Since that day, I still close my shop at 9pm and on my way to Ogba, I still get a public bus to convey me. I have not seen any policeman enforcing the curfew and the government is aware that the curfew is not effective because many government officials live on this street. They even buy things from us after the curfew.”
In Surulere, Yaba, and Oyingbo, there was also poor compliance with the directive.
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