Kaduna insecurity: Dangers of dwindling nightlife, social, business activities

By Idibia Gabriel, Kaduna

The dwindling nightlife, social and business activities amongst residents of Kaduna metropolis may be counterproductive and dangerous. Without a doubt, nightlife, social and night business have advantages in area of checkmating insecurity indirectly.

Aside giving rooms and more space for the thriving insurgence, the trends also de-escalate business growth and development in the affected areas in terms of income generation and revenue derived from night life by the businessmen and owners who also pay their taxes.

Kaduna state metropolis known for twenty-four hour sound nightlife, business and social activities is gradually scaling down on daily basis for fear of bandits and terror attacks in town.

Investigation by our correspondent revealed that some parts of Kaduna main town, where day breaks at 12:00a.m. in time past now, record little or no social activities anymore. In fact, from 9:00p.m. most major streets where night activities thrived are closed owing to what many have attributed to fear of bandits attacks.

Areas worst hit include Barnawa, Sobon Tasha, Narayi, Gonin Gora, Romi, Maraban Rido, Mafuta, Yakowa Road, Kawo and Magajin Gari axis of the metropolis to mention  a few. Night business owners and managers like Clubs, hotels and other social joints and centres in these areas are already facing severe challenges of hardship and how to settle utility bills and paying taxes.

Long before 2015, hardly people went to sleep till daybreak in most of the aforementioned areas including Kaduna urban centres, especially the areas popularly known and addressed as ‘Obalende,’ in Kaduna.

Although before the Boko Harram incidents, the All Progressive Party (APC) led El-rufai administration reportedly frowned at the nightlife and social activities in the some areas, sighting criminal activities associated with such nocturnal activities. Some hotels were demolished in the processes. The fear might however been overtaken as the state now witnesses more insecurity than ever before owing to insurgency.

The insecurity situation has worsened and deteriorated more upon the heat of Bandits and terrorists attacks in the state and Nigeria in general, coupled with COVID-19 pandemic invasion.

Findings, however, revealed that crimes and security challenges heightened and widened more in cities that go to sleep too early as absence of nightlife, business and social activities signifies invitation for crimes. The bandits, it’s strongly believed, also fear crowded areas and places, and thus strike more in night in local government areas and community than cities whether in daytime or night.

Insecurity situation therefore not only worsened in the absence of nightlife and social activities but thrived as complete absence of it engendered crimes and social vices providing opportunity for Bandits to advance their cause of abduction by taking over towns and cities.

Our correspondent who monitored the situation in Kaduna metropolis reported that commercial and business activities have completely dwindled to almost near zero level with virtually no soul venturing outside their premises any moment from 9:30p.m. And those seen beyond this hours are portrayed as rascals or even criminals.

Even where social activities were recorded in some Christian dominated areas like Kaduna South especially Barnawa, Sabon Tasha and few others, they’re not consistent and sustainable.

Nightlife such as clubbing, birthday parties, disco night and social joints also occurred in this areas but with limited time frame and with heavy self secured security protection for fear of insurgence with heavy pay package for government security operatives who take advantage of the situation to also exploit organizers.

Some of the victims mostly DJs and business owners who spoke to our correspondent in anonymity regretted putting their everything into nightlife business of hotels and tourism, clubbing, night joints amongst other social activities that thrives more in the night.