Governor Lalong made government position known after an emergency security meeting held in government house, Little Rayfield Jos said, “This curfew will remain as long as there is tension in the state. It is not my intention to impose the curfew and regiment people’s freedom but the situation in the state compelled me to do so.

Indications across the city of Jos shows that calm has returned to the state three days after Igbo-Hausa riot in Jos the Plateau state capital.

The riot which was concentrated in parts of Jos North local government did not spread to any of the reaming 16 local governments in the state due to prompt deployment of anti-riot squad of the Nigerian Police and the special military task force code named “Operation safe haven” to all nooks and crannies of the state capital and environs.

Residents are going about freely in the city of Jos just as armed security agencies could be seen patrolling the city especially flash points like Bauchi road, Apata, Chobe, Gadabiu, Zaria road, Tafawa Balewa as well as Murtala Muhammed way and Ahmodu Bello way.

However, full business activities has not resumed fully as all the shops owned by Igbo traders remained closed in most parts of the city. The Igbo traders however stayed around their shops to protect them from been looted by hoodlums who may take opportunity of the riot to steal.

But in spite of the calm across the capital city, the state governor Simon Lalong has said he would not lift the curfew until he is fully satisfied that peace has returned to the volatile city.

Gov. Lalong who made government position known after an emergency security meeting held in government house, Little Rayfield Jos said, “This curfew will remain as long as there is tension in the state. It is not my intention to impose the curfew and regiment people’s freedom but the situation in the state compelled me to do so.

“But it is not me that will lift the curfew, it is the people of the state that will do so, because it is the people that are rioting. As soon as I am convinced through security reports that there is total peace, I will relax the curfew. So if people refused to heed to my appeal and continued creating tension, the curfew will remain.

“That was why I summoned the security meeting of all stakeholder including community leaders, religious and youth leaders, because every residence has a role to play in bringing about peace in the state.

“Let all community leaders go back home and caution their people, I have promised to apply the full force of government to enforce peace in any community that refused to give peace a chance. I have the full power as a governor to do so, but I will not use such maximum power unless people compel me to do so.

“So the task if before residents to convinced me to either relax the curfew or deploy more forces to restore calm, whichever one you people chose I will do my own bid as the governor. Give me peace and I will take away the curfew, otherwise I will do the needful,” said Lalong.

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I won’t lift the curfew until total peace returns to Jos – Lalong