COVID-19: Jum’at Congregations Forcefully Dispersed In Minna

A Jum'at Congregation in Nigeria

A lot of Muslims felt the curfew that was announced by the Niger  state

government in Nigeria on Monday (23^rd March) was an infringement on their religious rights as the move also meant daily congregational prayers starting from salatul Zuhr (12:30 pm – 2:00 pm) which invariably includes salatul Jum’ah on Fridays would suffer bans. 

The Jum’at Mosque opposite the cemetery at Kpakungu and the one along Bosso road both in Minna, the state capital, attempted to hold sessions. The congregants were however forcefully dispersed by the police who cordoned off the areas. The worshippers had to go back home to observe the four raka’at salatul Zuhr as had been advised by prominent clerics on Thursday.

The Niger state government announced a 12 hour curfew on Monday 23^rd March as a measure to curtail the spread of the dreaded corona virus. The state governor, Abubakar Sani Bello, stated that the curfew will cover the hours between 8 am and 8 pm. 

The announcement sparked outrage especially among the commoners who predicted a life of hardship as a lot of them depend on daily hustles for profits to survive. Soon, some law makers in the state, particularly Malik Madaki Bosso, re-echoed the cries of the masses and the curfew was reduced to 10 hours covering the hours between 10 am to 8 pm. 

Other states in Nigeria have commenced total lock downs and it is not known for how long the measures will be in place.

As of March 2020, over 181,000 cases of COVID-19 have been reported in more than 160 countries and territories. Major outbreaks have been reported in mainland China, Europe, Iran and South Korea, among others. Over 7,100 people have died from the disease and about 78,000 have recovered.

The cases in Nigeria currently stand at 65 with one casualty.