The Plateau State Government has announced the ban on public procession with immediate effect.
The decision came two weeks after the killings of over 200 persons in the Barkin Ladi Local Government Area by suspected Fulani herdsmen.
Over 200 had recently taken to the streets in Jos to challenge the ongoing killings in Plateau State by suspected Fulani herdsmen.
The protest which started on a peaceful note turned violent as youths and women groups threw stones, damaging some cars parked at the New Government House in Jos as well as some office complexes.
A statement by the Plateau State Commissioner for Information and Communication, Yakubu Dati, said the ban was “to prevent miscreants and unpatriotic elements from hijacking any protest to further inflict pain and hardship on innocent citizens.”
He said, “As part of the measures to further protect lives and properties of citizens, the Plateau State Government hereby bans public processions in all parts of the state. Members of the public are, therefore, advised to adhere strictly to the ban.
“This is to prevent miscreants and unpatriotic elements from hijacking any protest to further inflict pain and hardship on innocent citizens. The ban will enable the government to take stock of the security situation in the state.
“The government appreciates the democratic right of citizens to protest but it also has a duty to ensure nothing negatively affects them. The government, therefore, solicits the cooperation and support of citizens for a peaceful Plateau State.”
Our correspondent reported that the Plateau State Governor, Simon Bako Lalong, had recently condemned the attack on the Government House by protesters, saying they would be fished out and punished accordingly within the confines of the law.
According to him, the protest represented one of the saddest commentaries in the collective resolve of Plateau people to stand and be united against evil, adding that it constituted “a serious affront on the authority of the state.”
