Yobe celebrates Sallah without movement restriction

Residents of Damaturu, Yobe State were on Friday delighted for celebrating Sallah without the restriction of movement.

The movement was restricted during Sallah over the last decade by the state government due to the Boko Haram insurgency.

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A resident, Alhaji Ali Kasaisa, said he was very excited over free vehicular movement this year.

He said though the restriction was due to insurgency, it exposed people to hardships, especially those whose houses are far from eid grounds.

He said he used to trek a distance of almost one kilometre from his residence for the Sallah prayer on Alansar Gujba road in Damaturu.

He said many aged people, women and children in his area had stopped attending Sallah prayer because they couldn’t trek the distance.

“I am happy and have more energy today because I didn’t trek, I came to the eid ground with a tricycle and I will return with it,” he said.

Malama Gambo Maina, another resident, said the restriction was not favourable to motorists because they had to park their vehicles at home and trek to prayer grounds irrespective of the distance.

“As you can see we can now make our Sallah visits on time,” she said.

When contacted on why the restriction was lifted this year, Yobe State Governor Mai Mala Buni said as relative peace gradually returns to the state, people should be allowed to enjoy the Sallah period without much restriction.

Buni in a Sallah message issued by his Director General, Press and Media Affairs, Mamman Mohammed,  enjoined the faithful in the state to exhibit  good neighbourliness through love, peaceful coexistence and generosity.

The governor commended people of the state for their support and cooperation, stressing that the government would remain committed and focused to provide basic infrastructure for the development of the state and to improve the lives of citizens.