COVID-19 palliatives: Fintiri gives hoodlums ultimatum to return stolen items

The Governor of Adamawa State, Ahmadu Umaru Fintiri, has given a 12-hour ultimatum to hoodlums to return whatever they looted from public and private warehouses in the state.

The Governor made this known in a broadcast on Tuesday.

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“I am giving a 12-hour ultimatum (6:00 pm – 6:00 am) to the hoodlums to return whatever they looted from public and private warehouses and homes to the nearest Police Station and traditional rulers’ houses (from the ward to the district level), whichever is nearest to them”.

Fintiri explained that after the expiration of the ultimatum on the 28th, October, 2020, he will sign an executive order for a house-to-house search which will commence at 7:00pm same day.

He said: “Part of the provision of the order is a sanction that will attract withdrawal of C of O and if necessary, demolition of every house that habours any of the stolen property.”

“Law abiding citizens should cooperate with the security agencies to ensure this is enforced to the later,” he said.

He said he received a briefings from relevant stakeholders on the level of havoc rendered in the last two days with shock.

“We received the report of attacks on the Customs Office, Road Safety, Primary Healthcare Development Agency, NEMA office, COVID-19 Isolation Centre at Kofare, North East Commodity Association (NECAS) Kofare, public and private warehouses in Demsawo, Nyako Quarters, opposite airport, behind Zenith bank, Bakin Kogi, Mayanka, Upper Benue, AADP, LEA, Yola South, Red Cross opposite FMC, Aliyu Mustafa College; Dr. Belel’s workshop, Private farms, etc.

“We are still taking stock of extent of loot and damages to property of government and private entities.

“As a Government, we take full responsibility for all the hardship attendant upon by the curfew era on decent and hardworking citizens.

“The other two categories of people I greatly owe apologies to, are the vulnerable, especially at the 21 LGAs who would have been the beneficiaries of the looted goods but were denied because of the activities of the hoodlums; and the owners of the private warehouses, shops and property looted. I truly feel your pain.

“Whatever charity one confers on the description of the perpetrators of this heinous act, they can’t be anything short of criminals. ”

“There is no situation that can justifiably warrant such brigandage as being witnessed.

“It is loaded with criminal venom and cruel motive for chaos and plunder.

“We must not give in to this, for we know the real intent.

“Once the warehouses are emptied, the next destination as already manifest in the last two days, are private businesses and individuals’ homes.

“The loss is materially colossal but more enormous is the loss of moral values driven by greedy criminal urge to steal.

“We condemn in strong terms the outright demonstration of brigandage as barbaric, criminal and a recipe for anarchy. ”

The Governor noted that his decision to impose a curfew was painfully taken because he is sensitive to the effect of a curfew on the livelihood of his citizens considering the various regimes of lockdown, adding that the decision was made to contain the hoodlums.