The Kaduna State Government says it has asked telecommunications firms to suspend their services in the State from today, September 30, towards checking the activities of bandits.
The State’s Commissioner for Internal Security and Home Affairs, Samuel Aruwan, disclosed this in an issued statement, yesterday.
According to him, the use of motorcycles for transport services and the sale of petrol in jerrycans have also been suspended across the State.
The latest development in Kaduna followed that of Zamfara, where all parts of the State are affected; Katsina State, where 13 local government areas are affected and Sokoto State, where 14 LGAs are affected.
The governments of the three North-west States announced the suspension of telecommunications networks and banned weekly markets and sale of petrol in jerry cans, among other drastic measures to check the activities of the bandits.
Aruwan further said the government has formally requested the Nigerian government to enforce the shutdown of telecoms services in parts of the State identified by security agencies as requiring such measures.
The statement further stated: “Tricycles are allowed to operate only from 6 am to 7 pm. All tricycles must remove all curtains. The movement of all tricycles is restricted from dusk till dawn (7 pm to 6 am).
“All vehicles used for commercial transport must be painted in yellow and black within 30 days. Vehicles that are part of ride-hailing services are to carry yellow and black stripes”.
He said security measures earlier announced by the State government remain in place and urged the residents to comply with the directives.
The State government had earlier said it had no plan to shut down telecoms networks despite the spike in crimes.
