Kaduna hawkers, artisans, defy government order, open shops 

Following the announcement by the Kaduna State Government to relax curfew from 8-6pm on Tuesday and Wednesday this week,

Residents of Kaduna State on Tuesday trooped out en masse in search of food while welders, hawkers of different commodities, electricians, mechanics and tailors defied governments lockdown order and opened shops.

The development follows the relaxation of curfew from 8-6pm on Tuesday and Wednesday by the state government.

The Commissioner for Internal Security and Home Affairs, Mr. Samuel Aruwan had on Monday evening partially relaxed the 24 hours curfew to enable residents stock food and other essentials.

He ordered that all shops remained closed, except medical stores and food sellers.

However, in disobedience, artisans such as motor mechanics, barbers, watch repairers, radio mechanics, hawkers, opened their shops for customers.

Many of them attributed their disobedience to the hardship faced during the lockdown, hunger, and debt incurred from credit purchases.

According to Alhaji Idris Maigida of Barnawa Kaduna GRA, ” what I realised from my tailoring shop, a day is what I used to buy food for my family. I buy foodstuffs every day. But since the COVID-19 and 24 hours curfew, we have been living by the Grace of God. People assisted us with foodstuffs, ingredients. Sometimes I collect foodstuffs on credit with the promise to pay after lockdown.”

According to him, with the relaxed curfew, if the shop is open, God may direct customers to him.

Mallam Nuhu Alizuma, a shoe shiner who was not comfortable with the total lockdown said he came from Katsina to Kaduna for the shoe shining business just two days before the lockdown.

He couldn’t afford money to go back, or feed since all he had, was used for transport to Kaduna.

” I came to Kaduna two days before the government locked down Kaduna over COVID-19. Since then, I was even scared of going anywhere. All I came with, got finished. I cannot go back, and business is not moving in Kaduna due to lockdown.’

Commuters were also seen stranded as only a few buses plied the road while only a few of the buses complied to the government’s directive of 2-3 passengers in a row. Some buses who complied to the directive charged passengers exorbitantly.

A bus driver who spoke to DAILY POST on Tuesday, Joseph Akpiti said though he is obeying government’s directive, he had to increase transport fares.

” There is no way I can carry five passengers in a bus, as against 10 passengers in the past, that I can meet up with fuel money.
” We all need to share the burden. I had added 10 per cent to customers’ fare.” He said

However, in what appeared to be total obedience to the government’s directive, Tricycles and motorcycles (Okada) were parked in their respective owners’ warehouses.
They appear to have obeyed a directive by the state government not to carry passengers or ply the roads.

A tricycle operator in Nasarawa village, Mr. Simon Otokpa said security agents have arrested over 100 of their members that violated the law, as he will never try it, no matter the ugly situation he found himself in.

” Many of my friends are still with the police. Their Tricycles were parked at the police station, while police detained them. Very soon, they will charge them to court.

What will you gain, if you are caught disobeying the law, at the same time, you are charged large sums of money you cannot pay?” He added

Though there was no reinforcement of order or directive by security agents on Tuesday, to close shops of those who were not allowed to open by security agents on Tuesday, most shop owners were seen attending to customers.