Business activities resumed yesterday in Kaduna metropolis after the relaxation of a 24-hour curfew imposed on it since Sunday.
The curfew was imposed on the state capital and its environs following outbreak of violence in which 23 people were killed, 17 others injured and several property burnt and vandalised.
Shops have been fully opened at the Abubakar Gumi main market, while banks and schools were also opened for normal businesses.
The popular Ahmadu Bello Way, Lagos Street, Ibadan Street, Abeokuta Street and Katsina Road, where most of the electronics and spare parts shops are located, remained locked.
One of the traders on Lagos Street, Mr Sunday Emeka said most Igbo traders were still not comfortable with the situation and would not want to endanger their lives.
He said: “You know how Kaduna crisis is: those who create the crisis don’t have anything to lose; it’s always the Igbo who are at the receiving end.”
The trader hailed the state government for taking immediate action on the crisis to douse the tension.
He said: “We need peace in Kaduna State. The government should take drastic measures against those who are fomenting the crisis.”
A shop owner, Aminu Isa, praised the state government for relaxing the curfew, saying it would enable residents “get what we will use to feed our families”.
He added: “We depend on our daily income for the survival of our family. So, this curfew has really affected us and our families. It was not easy for us in the past three days.”
Isa urged the residents to live in peace with one another, irrespective of religious or ethnic differences.
“Violence has created a lot of negative impact in our society. Without peace, there is not going to be any meaningful development in the state,” he said.
Security operatives have been deployed in strategic places, including banks and other businesses across the city.