Some residents of Enugu State capital, have defied the 24-hour curfew imposed by Gov Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi on Wednesday, over the recent civil unrest and opened their shops for business.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) Correspondent, who monitored the situation on Thursday observed that some shops and markets were opened for business.
NAN reports that the situation was not different with tricycle riders and motorists as some of them were carrying passengers, although within the community.
Some sellers, who spoke to NAN, said that they were not aware of the curfew while others claimed that the directive got to them late on Thursday night.
Mrs Felicia Okeke, a vegetable seller at Mayor market, on Agbani Road, said she had to sell off her vegetable to avoid spoilage, adding that she heard about the curfew when people were running back on Wednesday evening.
“If the announcement of the curfew was earlier, I would not have bought so much vegetable to sell and for it not to go bad, I just have to try and sell it out today,” Okeke said.
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Mr Fred Uchenna, a rice seller, at Topland market, Amechi road, said that he thought foodstuff sellers were exempted from the curfew.
“I came to the market to open my shop because I thought that those of us selling foodstuffs are exempted just as in the days of COVID-19 sit-at-home era,” Uchenna said.
A tricycle riders, on Agbani road, who spoke on condition of anonymity said he was only conveying passengers within Achara Layout.
“I cannot go beyond Achara Layout to pick or convey passengers due to the curfew imposed by the state government,” he said.
Mr Chima Okwu, another tricycle riders added that he came out to pick passengers because he saw people walking on the street and thought that the curfew was not serious.
It was a similar thing in Abakpa Nike, Emene and New Haven where commercial tricycles and buses were busy picking passengers while some shops on the streets remain open.
Many of them claimed that they were not aware of the curfew imposed by the state government.
NAN reports that hoodlums on Wednesday took to major streets in the state metropolis and destroyed public property, banks and looting goods.