Nigeria Imposes Curfew On Capital City To Prevent Islamist Attacks

Nigeria has imposed a limited curfew on the capital city of Abuja following a series of deadly attacks by an Islamist terrorist group called Boko Haram.

Boko has killed dozens of people in recent high-profile attacks in the city and elsewhere, including the police headquarters building, and a particularly deadly assault at a beer garden.

City officials have ordered that such venues as nightclubs, beer parlors and cinemas must close at 10 pm (local time), while public parks which allow children must shut down by 6 pm.

Abuja will also prohibit the parking of vehicles on two roads where the majority of government offices are located in order to prevent car bombs.

These measures are necessitated by the need to ensure adequate security of lives and property in the federal capital territory [in light of] the prevailing security concerns, the city's spokesman Muhammad Hazat Sule said in a statement.

Boko Haram is seeking for the imposition of an Islamic Shariah state in northern Nigeria and, as such, targets places it believes are under the control of western secular influences. Initially, they targeted politicians and state officials but have recently expanded their attacks on ordinary citizens.

They have threatened yet more attacks.

The proposed measures are bound to be unpopular and perhaps even hurt the city’s economy.

Onah Ekhomu, an independent analyst, told Agence France Presse: I think it's a knee-jerk reaction, but it's overkill. We are not at war and the authorities can take care of this problem. First of all by doing that you have already told the terrorist that they have won.