THE Kaduna State government has imposed a 24-hour curfew on Kajuru local government area of the state following rumours that a fresh crisis is brewing in Kasuwan Magani, one of the crisis-prone communities in the area.

Already, three persons have been reported killed in the Kasuwan Mangani area on Friday.

The curfew was announced via a statement issued on a few hours ago by Samuel Aruwan, media aide to Governor Nasir El-Rufai.

In the statement, Aruwan quoted the Kaduna state Deputy Governor,  Bala Bantex, as charging the security agencies to ensure strict enforcement of the curfew while asking the general public, especially citizens of the affected area, to comply and support peace efforts in their communities.

Aruwan told journalists that the curfew was necessary to prevent further breakdown of law and order and also to guard against the possibility of the crisis spilling over to neighbouring communities in the local government area.

This is coming days after the federal government vowed to fish out the men that murdered two aid workers − Faye Mooney, a Briton, and Mathew Oguche, a Nigerian − at the popular Kajuru Castle Resort, a tourist site located in Kaduna State.

Mooney and Ogwuche were based in Lagos but had travelled to Kaduna State during the Easter holiday. Several other persons were also kidnapped in the attack.

“The government will not relent until all parts of the country are made safe for all, whether they are tourists, business people or ordinary Nigerians who just want to live their lives under an atmosphere of peace and security,” said Lai Mohammed, Minister of Information and Culture.

The Kajuru area of Kaduna State has recorded an increased rate of violence in the past two years, resulting in the death of dozens of citizens and the destruction of property worth large sums of money.

On Thursday, the Nigerian Senate summoned the Acting Inspector General of Police, Adamu Mohammed, to appear before the lawmakers to explain the efforts being made to curb the current security situation in the country.

The Senate also called on the executive arm of government to set up an inter-agency task force to tackle cases of banditry and kidnapping in Kaduna, Katsina, Zamfara, Niger States, and other states in Northern Nigeria.