Residents?of Kaduna metropolis Friday rushed to the market to replenish their foodstuff and other essential items, following the relaxing of the 24-hour curfew in the state.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that?the 24-hour curfew earlier imposed by the state government was relaxed by?four hours on Friday, from 12 noon to 4 p.m.
Gov. Patrick Yakowa had imposed the curfew on June 18, sequel to the Sunday June 17 triple bomb attacks in churches in Zaria and Kaduna to prevent further loss of lives and property.
The government on Thursday relaxed the curfew by four hours on Friday June 22, and Sunday June 24, to enable Muslims and Christian faithful conduct their worships.
The residents took advantage of the easing of the curfew?to purchase essential commodities and food items.
A NAN correspondent, who visited the Kaduna Central Market reports that there was a?rush for the purchases by the residents to beat the four-hour grace.
Majority of the residents were seen buying perishable food items like tomatoes, onions, pepper and vegetables.
Mrs Juliana Tosin, a house wife, told NAN at the vegetable section of the market, that she exhausted her stock a day after the curfew was declared.
“My family was forced to manage life on a one-zero-one ratio of meal per day since June 19,’’ Tosin said.
Ms Murjanatu Bappa also told NAN that her family was caught?unawares by the?curfew and that the family survived on unbalanced diet.
She lamented that the prices of the items had tripled, adding that a small basket of potatoes and pepper had risen from N350 to N1,000 each.
A?dealer in?perishable items,?Malam Auwalu Jingi, said he lost property worth over N2.5 million because of the curfew.
“I usually buy my food items and?sell to retailers in large quantities on normal days, but you can see the enormous losses I incurred because of this crisis,'' Jingi said.
For Malam Mohammed Isah, a resident of Unguwar Sarki, Kaduna, life was unbearable as he said he lacked virtually every food item in the house.
“You know, I am a poor man?and have been surviving on daily purchases of my family food needs,’’ Isah said.?
He commended the state government for easing the curfew and appealed to residents to embrace peace to allow normalcy?to return to?the state. (NAN)