The Nation Newspaper

Tag: Protesters

  • Kano Court remands 632 protesters

    Kano Court remands 632 protesters

    A Kano State Mobile Court in Kano State on Tuesday ordered the remand of 632 protesters for alleged vandalism of public and government properties during the #Endbadgovernance nationwide protest.

    The defendants are charged with criminal conspiracy, theft, unlawful assembly, inciting disturbance, trespass and mischief by fire.

    The court was presided over by three senior judicial officers.

    They are Senior Magistrate Ibrahim Mansur-Yola, Senior Magistrate Hadiza Rabiu-Bello,  and Chief Magistrate Abba Muttaka-Dandago, respectively.

    The court adjourned sitting until Aug.19, for hearing.

    Earlier, the State Director Public Prosecution(DPP), Salisu Tahir, informed the court that the defendants committed the alleged offences on Aug.1.

    He alleged that on the same date the defendants during the #Endbadgovernance nation wide protest,  trespassed, vandalised government and public properties in the state.

    “The defendants broke into people’s shops and looted their goods,” the DPP told the court.

    The prosecutor said that the offences contravened the provision of sections 97, 287, 229, 336, 349 and 247 of the Penal Code.

    Read Also: UPDATED: Security operatives disperse protesters in Abuja

    While some of the defendants pleaded guilty, others pleaded not guilty to the charge.

    Speaking to newsmen, after the court sitting, the State Attorney General, Mr Haruna Isa-Dederi, said the State Government constituted three mobile courts to prosecute the defendants.

    “I pleaded with the Kano State Chief Judge to allow the constitution of three Special Courts within the premises of the state police command because of the number of defendants involved.”

    Isa-Dederi noted that the case diary would be studied and appropriate advice given by the Ministry of Justice before the next adjourned date.

    (NAN)

  • JUST IN: Protesters arrive Gani Fawehinmi’s park in trickles

    JUST IN: Protesters arrive Gani Fawehinmi’s park in trickles

    #EndBadGovernance protesters have started converging at the Gani Fawehinmi Freedom Park, Ojota in Lagos. 

    On Sunday, a statement by Hassan Taiwo, Ayoyinka Oni and Adegboyega Adeniji, on behalf of the #EndBadGovernanceInNigeria Organising Committee, said the address by President Bola Tinubu was yet to address their demands.

    The organisers noted that they consider the decision to address the nation an “important victory for our movement.”

    Read Also: Protesters leave Lagos ground, desert Abuja, Benin venues

    “Without our courage and resolve to dare the odds, even this acknowledgement would not have happened. So far, we have demonstrated that a President is not greater than the rest of the country,” the statement read.

    The protests, which began on Thursday, have held in several States but have turned violent in some, leading to the imposition of curfews by the State Governments.

    Early on Monday, there was heavy police presence at Gani Fawehinmi Freedom Park, before protesters started arriving in batches.

  • Protesters leave Lagos ground, desert Abuja, Benin venues

    Protesters leave Lagos ground, desert Abuja, Benin venues

    • Sanwo-Olu opens engagement channels
    • Soyinka: how to handle protesters

    The protests appeared to have ended yesterday.

    The few people who gathered at the Freedom Park in Lagos early in the day dispersed after President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s broadcast.

    The Moshood Abiola National Stadium in Abuja was also deserted.

    The popular Ring Road in Benin, centre of the protest since Thursday was cleared yesterday after the President’s broadcast.

    The President told the protesting youths in his 25-minute address to the nation to call off their three-day-old action, saying he had heard them loud and clear.

    Immediately after the broadcast, a disagreement broke out among the demonstrators at the Freedom Park in Lagos.

    One of the leaders of the protesters announced to others the need to shelve the protest, having heard from the President.

    He suggested that it should be put off till October 1 to give the President more time to evaluate the situation and take further action.

    But a counter instruction was given almost immediately by other protesters, who said the President did not adequately address their demands.

    Assistant Commissioner of Police Paul Okafor appealed to them to disperse because of the need for peace to reign in Lagos.

    Thereafter, the protesters left in droves but the security agents remained on the ground.

    Sanwo-Olu opens engagement channels

    Lagos Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu announced channels of engagement, following the discontinuation of action by those protesting against economic hardship in the state.

    The announcement was made in a statement by Mr. Gbenga Omotoso, the Commissioner for Information and Strategy.

    It reads: “The Lagos State Government expresses appreciation to the protesters in Lagos for their peaceful conduct and their announcement of an end to their action following the broadcast by the president.”

    Praising leaders of the protest in the Centre of Excellence, the governor said: “Your stoppage of the protest today is a crystal clear affirmation of the fact that you know your collective voice has been heard by the government. What you have done is not only noble, but the civilised thing to do.

    “In demonstration of the government’s commitment to continuous engagement with the youth, the governor has directed that despite the stoppage of the protest, the dialogue and engagements which the state government initiated prior to the action must continue.

    “Consequently, Mr. Governor has directed Ministry of Youth and Social Development; Ministry of Information and Strategy and Office of Civic Engagement to immediately open wider channels of engagement with various stakeholders, including the protest leaders.

    “The Executive Council members in charge of the ministries can be reached on the following dedicated Citizens Access lines:

    . Office of Civic Engagement +234 802 522 4347

    . Ministry of Information & Strategy +2348119655788

    . Ministry of Youth & Social Development +2347077178295

    “Now, it is fit and proper to, once again, warn our citizens to be very vigilant. Those who seek to divide us are yet to give up.

    “They may continue to post fake news via audio and video channels. Lagosians must never give room to warmongering, scaremongering and rumour-mongering. That is not our way; that is not who we are. That is not our style.”

    The statement quoted the governor as “praising Lagosians for rejecting anarchy and embracing peace”.

    He also hailed the professional conduct of all security agencies, the Police Command, the Department of State Services, the military, Civil Defence, and Neighborhood Watch.

    The statement further reads: “The governor notes with great pride the roles of our traditional rulers, civil society organisations, community leaders, religious leaders, students’ leaders and others, who ensured Lagos remained peaceful.”

    Moshood Abiola Stadium deserted

    The Nation correspondents, who monitored developments in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), observed that normalcy had returned.

    The stadium where they were confined to by the court was empty as of 4 pm.

    Security operatives, especially the police, were stationed at the venue to maintain law and order.

    A helicopter was hovering over the FCT for the better part of the day.

    But all was quiet in the Federal Capital city.

    Vehicular movement was easy but roads were largely empty.

    It may also be because it was a Sunday when most people were indoors.

    At every major intersection, security men were stationed to keep an eye on the environment.

    Some of the few vehicles on the road, especially commercial vehicles, had leaves affixed on their windscreen, an indication that they were for peace.

    Security around the Presidential Villa remained heightened.

    The Kubwa-Zuba Motorway was free. Normal movement of traffic was observed.

    Movement from Karshi town to other parts of the nation’s capital city was smooth.

    Benin venue cleared

    The protesters in Edo State yesterday suspended the protest after the President’s speech.

    Immediately after the broadcast, the protesters  removed the podium at Ring Road, near the palace of the Oba of Benin, Omo N’Oba N’Edo Uku Akpolokpolo, Oba Ewuare II.

    Barricades on the major roads linking the ever-busy Ring Road were also cleared by the protesting youths, thereby paving the way for free vehicular and human movements by motorists and pedestrians respectively, without harassment or molestation of passersby and commuters, but policemen were on standby, in order to prevent the breakdown of law and order.

    Read Also: Why we collected ‘offerings’ during church service on street—Osun Protesters

    Church services at venues

    In Osun and Plateau states, the demonstrators who insisted on continuing with the protest held church services at the venues.

    At the popular Olaiya Bridge in Osogbo, Osun State where the service was held, leaders of the protest were collecting offerings from the demonstrators to make purchases.

    “The reason for the offering is to enable us to get logistics for this protest. Anybody can drop his offering as we pass through the streets,’’ said one of the protesters who identified himself as Bishop.

    “We are continuing the protest tomorrow (today). We are not backing down. The President has not addressed our demands,” Bishop added.

    Emmanuel Olowu, secretary of the state’s Coalition of Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) led the service.

    His sermon was taken from Exodus 14 after the praise and worship session. 

    Olowu, who noted that God ordains leaders, including the president, governors and lawmakers, spoke about the essence of “good leadership and followers.”

    According to him, both are synonymous with the country’s current predicament.

    Olowu said Nigerians from different religious backgrounds “must come together to support the cause of entrenching good governance.”  

    Chairman of the Democratic Socialist Movement in the state, Alfred Alagbe, read Gen. 41:13 and Matthew 21:9-11.

    At the end of the service at about 12:27 p.m, the protesters continued with the protest, chanting solidarity songs.

    Soyinka: How  to handle protesters 

    Nobel laureate, Prof. Wole Soyinka, called on security agents to be tactical in the handling of the protests to avoid further fatalities.

    Soyinka made the call in a statement he issued after President Tinubu’s address to the nation.

    The statement was titled ‘’The Hunger March as Universal Mandate.’’ 

    The Nobel laureate and global literature icon was also concerned that the President’s broadcast was silent on the actions of the security agents. 

    He cautioned against unprofessional conduct by security agents that could hurt protesters “who are merely asking for bread.”

    According to him, a hard approach to the protests could lead to “more desperate upheavals.”

    Soyinka said: “Even tear gas remains questionable in most circumstances; using it is certainly an abuse in situations of clearly peaceful protest.

    “Hunger marches constitute a universal S.O.S, not peculiar to the Nigerian nation.

    “They belong, indeed, in a class of their own, never mind the collateral claims emblasoned on posters.

    “They serve as summons to governance that a breaking point has been reached and, thus, a testing ground for governance awareness of public desperation,” he said.

    Soyinka said the tragic response to the hunger marches in parts of the country constituted a retrogression that took the nation backwards.

    The statement reads: “I set my alarm clock for this morning to ensure that I did not miss President Bola Tinubu’s impatiently awaited address to the nation on the current unrest across the nation.

    “His outline of government’s remedial action since inception, aimed at warding off just such an outbreak, will undoubtedly receive expert and sustained attention both for effectiveness and in content analysis.

    “My primary concern, quite predictably, is the continuing deterioration of the state’s seizure of protest management, an area in which the presidential address fell conspicuously short.

    “Such short-changing of civic deserving, regrettably, goes to arm the security forces in the exercise of impunity and condemns the nation to a seemingly unbreakable cycle of resentment and reprisals.

    “Live bullets as a state response to civic protest – that becomes the core issue.

    “The tragic response to the ongoing hunger marches in parts of the nation, and for which notice was served, constitutes a retrogression that takes the nation even further back than the deadly culmination of the watershed ENDSARS protests.

    “It evokes pre-independence – that is, colonial – acts of disdain, a passage that induced the late-stage pioneer Hubert Ogunde’s folk opera Bread and Bullets, earning that nationalist serial persecution and proscription by the colonial government.

    “The nation’s security agencies cannot pretend unawareness of alternative models for emulation, civilised advances in security intervention. Need we recall the nationwide 2022/23 editions of what is generally known as the Yellow Vest movement in France?”

    “Perhaps it is time to make such scenarios compulsory viewing in policing curriculum. In all of the coverage that I watched, I did not catch one single instance of a gun leveled at protesters, much less fired at them even during direct physical confrontations.

    “The serving of bullets where bread is pleaded is ominous retrogression, and we know what that eventually proves – a prelude to far more desperate upheavals, not excluding revolutions.

    “The time is long overdue, surely, to abandon, permanently, the anachronistic resort to lethal means by the security agencies of governance. No nation is so underdeveloped, materially impoverished, or simply internally insecure as to lack the will to set an example.

    “All it takes is to recall its own history, and then exercise the will to commence a lasting transformation, inserting a break in the chain of lethal responses against civic society.

    “Today’s marchers may wish to consider adopting the key songs of Hubert Ogunde’s bread and bullets if only to inculcate a sense of shame in the continuing failure to transcend the lure of colonial inheritance where we all were at the receiving end. One way or the other, this vicious cycle must be broken.”

  • Why we collected ‘offerings’ during church service on street—Osun Protesters

    Why we collected ‘offerings’ during church service on street—Osun Protesters

    Protesters in Osogbo, the capital of Osun State, on Sunday, August 4, held a church service at a popular junction as part of their ongoing demonstration against hunger and hardship.

    This followed a similar pattern of protests, where Muslim faithful held Jumat prayers at the Ola-Iya junction on Friday.

    During the church service, the leadership of the protesters collected offerings from the Christian faithful to support their cause.

    Comrade Emmanuel Olowu, Secretary of the Osun State Coalition of Civil Societies, delivered a sermon from Exodus 14, emphasising that leaders, including the president, governors, and lawmakers, are ordained by God to attend to the needs of Nigerians.

    Read Also: Hoodlums in Osun Amotekun’s uniform steal three vehicles, spare parts

    Following the sermon, a protest leader identified as Bishop encouraged attendees to make monetary offerings, marking the conclusion of the street church service.

    He explained: “The reason for this offering is that this money will be used for logistics for this protest. You can drop your offering as we pass what we will use to collect the offering.

    “We are continuing the protest tomorrow, don’t be wary, we are not backing down. The president has not addressed our demands.”

  • Protesters go for broke

    Protesters go for broke

    The severest form of the protests begun on August 1 occurred in the core North. A day before the protests began, Vice President Kashim Shettima told media executives from the North that President Bola Tinubu was neither anti-North nor anti-Islam as some people in that region have been led to believe. His refutations meant little to a region that has remained adamant about protesting the hunger and hardship in the country, despite being Nigeria’s granary. Of course, to southern protesters, Mr Shettima’s argument about the president’s bona fides was not in consideration. Nostalgia over the October 2020 EndSARS protests and the euphoria they felt flexing youthful muscles that discomfited and perplexed the older generation, much more than hunger, helped them make up their minds to pour into the streets on August 1 and to try and sustain it for much longer than anyone was willing to give them credit.

    Mr Shettima’s refutations suggest that the government heard tangible but disturbing whispers about the real undercurrents of the protests. He knew, and even the South also squirmed, that the president had by series of strategic and copious appointments bent over backwards to placate the North. When the protests broke out, it became clear that the president’s overtures had had little effect. He may have finally realised that there is not much he can do to counter the narrative of the biases insinuated into his policies and, strangely, even his appointments. He and his team, including the vice president, probably understand, but will not voice it, that the hatred the president is accused of showing the North and Islam is really all about the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) probes, his radical and peremptory policy on subsidy, and the unprecedented Forex  measure. These are impactful policies that attempt to dislodge powerful cabals. The powerful interests will not give up without a fight.

    It is suggested that the Tinubu administration had carried on as if the economy was crisis-free and there was no hunger or hardship in the country. Here, the protesters’ arguments and observations are incontrovertible. The president was supposed to lead the cost-cutting measures, starting with himself and his office, and then spread the sacrifice to other arms of government and agencies and departments. Instead, his cabinet became swollen, and other provocative and lavish expenditures by appointees, lawmakers and agencies mocked the sufferings of a wearied people. Regardless of whatever other reasons informed the protests, the failure to demonstrate prudence became the main highlight of the street actions. The president will have no choice now but to address these concerns and lead the effort to urgently rationalise costs and run an efficient administration. He will also tread more carefully regarding the kind of projects he embarks upon.

    In the months ahead, however, he will be in a perfect quandary. He will heed public anxiety to conjure an efficient government, but whether it will be enough to allow him run a crisis-free administration, one not beset with distractions and public and opposition animosities, remains to be seen. From all indications, given his loathing for the flip-flop that pervades Nigerian politics, he is unlikely to abandon his monetary reforms or reintroduce fuel subsidy beyond its present, discrete level. He cannot also help himself with regard to his 2023 election victory for which his co-contestants have sworn not to give him peace of mind. Potentially, therefore, President Tinubu’s nightmares have just begun. He will survive this challenge, as this column predicted last week, and indeed he will serve out his term; but whether his enemies will let him rest or give him the latitude he needs to pursue the comprehensive reset of the economy is not altogether clear. He is famous for being stubborn; but so are his enemies. They will bruise his heels; but he will also break their backs. It is not that he cannot attempt to find common grounds with his hidden opponents; it is simply that his enemies have dug their heels in very firmly.

    The administration did its best to stave off the protests. When officials suggested the street actions might be hijacked, and advocated for either dialogue or total cancellation of the protests, sceptical Nigerians accused the administration of incipient dictatorship or fabrications. The spontaneous hijack of the protests in the North confirmed the government’s worst fears, seeing how the region easily became combustible, including, surprisingly, in states ravaged by banditry and insurgency. The South fared far better in smothering the predilection for violence. Apart from this superficial difference, the protests exposed very vividly the alarming fissures in the polity. In the North, considering the avalanche of children numbered among the protesters, a time of reckoning appears imminent. Decades of leadership failure in the region, years of governmental profligacy, and a long period of sustained sense of entitlement borne out by huge federal allocations have paradoxically produced millions of young, uneducated and angry northerners. They may be manipulated today, and deployed to secure more concessions from the federation, but not too long from now, they will become uncontrollable. The signs blaze forth in the ongoing protests over a region that is sitting blissfully on a powder keg. The inescapable explosion will, however, not be confined to the North, as indeed banditry and insurgency have shown by leaving their destructive trails in every home in the country.

    Something can be done to mitigate the looming catastrophe; but will that something be done? There is nothing in the protests to suggest that anything will be done. The only ray of hope lies in a few brilliant and ambitious and visionary governors that are beginning to take office in the region. They see the dangers ahead, do not exhibit or promote any sense of entitlement, and are desperate to reshape their societies. The country must hope that their efforts are not too little too late. Last week and the week before, this column warned that the protests, if allowed to hold, might unleash an irreversible process that could doom the country. The predictions are alarmingly being borne out. If anyone in leadership is unable to see the storm brewing ahead, he is not worth his office, including those encouraging the protests and gloating over the discomforts of the administration. When the explosion occurs – for the forces are pressurized in a small but overpopulated container – no one will be spared.

    There is also a second and even more apocalyptic fear that exceeds the misdirected rage of abandoned children. The narration of youth versus elders, and the extrapolation that the latter do not care about the former, is a despicable expansion of societal hierarchies and classifications. This obnoxious differentiation is gradually calcifying in Nigeria, not in terms of targeting goods and services for the various classes, but in fanning political and societal discord that drive resentment and hostility. Much more than EndSARS, some elderly Nigerians and government officials have begun to sense the danger this definitional excess constitutes to the body politic. Futures and destinies of youths and elders are inextricably intertwined. It is fallacious to argue that youths are excluded from governance. While federal and state governments have an obligation to deliberately and systematically recruit and train young people into leadership cadre, just as is being done in the private sector, the youths themselves must show the inclination, character, hard work, discipline and brilliance necessary to receive attention. Nigerians should stop promoting nonsense. More than 99 percent of those interviewed at the protest grounds have no coherent understanding, beyond clichés, of the economic and societal issues assailing the country. Even the Lagos crowd, which is supposed to be fairly more cosmopolitan, showed a horrifying staleness in rationalising their revolt.

    Apart from the generational and parental crises the protests exhumed, not to say the failure of government to be proactive about the issues in dispute, there is also the worrisome legal dimension to the protests. The protesters abhor the government’s alleged manipulation of the justice and electoral systems, but they also show disdain for the rule of law. Section 40 of the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria provides for the rights of Nigerians to freely assemble, including for the protection of their interests. Verbatim, the section reads: “Every person shall be entitled to assemble freely and associate with other persons, and in particular he may form or belong to any political party, trade union or any other association for the protection of his interests; Provided that the provisions of this section shall not derogate from the powers conferred by this constitution on the Independent National Electoral Commission with respect to political parties to which that commission does not accord recognition.”

    Read Also: Abiodun never called Nigerian protesters sore losers—Ogun govt

    The scope of this section is derogated by both the Independent National Electoral Commission with respect to political parties, and by Section 45 of the Constitution with respect to the nature of these assemblies. It is trite law that a peaceful assembly may be dispersed by any means when it morphs into the unwelcome ogre of a riot. The government warned that there were reasonable suspicions and intelligence that agent provocateurs were being commissioned and deployed by enemies of the polity to vitiate the protests and ensure it morphed into that most undesirable of things — a riot. The provision in Section 40 is echoed in Chapter 9, Article 11 of the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Right which Nigeria is a signatory to. It enshrines the Right to Freedom of Assembly. But, in their haste to enjoy the benefits of Section 40 above, Nigerians often forget the Public Order Act of 1979, Section 1 of which empowers a state governor to prescribe the route by which and the times at which any procession may pass. Anyone desiring to organise a protest should familiarise themselves with all the provisions of this Act.

    It was not until a day or two before the protests began that the government secured pre-emptive court orders to restrict the protesters to certain designated spots for their rallies. While the interim injunctions were largely obeyed in the South, they were discountenanced in the North, especially Abuja, the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), on the grounds of inaccessibility to protest venues. But at the root of bad governance is disobedience to court orders, the contempt for the rule of law. If those who seek an end to bad governance fail to appreciate the centrality of the rule of law, the basis of their campaigns become questionable. The disregard for the rule of law flows seamlessly into the disregard for logic in the presentation of the protesters’ 12-point demand to the government. The demands are as follows: “Revert petrol pump price to N100/litre; Combat insecurity and hunger; Close all IDP camps and resettle the campers; Total electoral reform; Independent probe into the electoral budget of N355 billion; Immediate release of ENDSARS protesters still in detention; Implementation of a living wage (the minimum wage of N300,000); Compulsory free education from primary to secondary school; Children of public office holders must attend public schools in the country; The government must patronise made-in-Nigeria goods; Transition to unicameral legislation; Judicial and constitutional review.” Previously 20, the list has been pruned down to weed out demands like freedom for IPOB leader Nnamdi Kanu, and other items that involved completely jettisoning the 1999 constitution.

    The protest was obviously hurriedly put together, and the demands largely farcical, sentimental and indefensible. The demands do not do honour to the education, rationality, and competence of Nigerian youths. The appalling incompetence of the drafters of the demands may explain why they are reluctant to present themselves for negotiation with the government. They will simply make a fool of themselves. But despite public misgivings, the about two weeks notice they gave the government was enough to kick-start meaningful reforms of governance process and the introduction of massive cuts in cost of governance. Instead, the government concentrated on averting the protests. The administration is nevertheless expected in the days ahead to address some of these issues, particularly how to cut the cost of governance and publicise their resolutions. They are already doing so much to retool the economy, but they have not done enough to ensure the government is running efficiently and officials, whether at the executive or legislative and judicial levels, are aligned with the wishes of the public. The administration must also coax the legislature to systematically enable constituencies engage their representatives in order to resolve some of the controversial issues needlessly promoted to the level of national discourse, not to say national protests.

    What is obvious from the protests is that the legislature is sitting pretty and aloof on the perfumed heights of fictional mountains, with no real engagement with their constituencies, while state and local governments have, in military command fashion, ceded responsibility and blame to the national government. The North has been the more violent in the protests, but when it comes to midwifing substantial change, in light of the protesters’ demands obviously largely drafted in the South, the region is the more conservative and less amenable to comprehensive restructuring. Too many things reek of bad faith in the demands and the execution of the protests, too many contradictions, too many secret plots, and too much cavalier treatment of issues and controversies that could easily fracture the country irreparably. Worse, the country may not yet be out of the woods; for if matters, particularly the economy, remain unimproved for long, there is no telling what convulsions might yet shake the country to its foundations, whether those protests are sensible or foolish. For now, the public may focus almost single-mindedly on the Tinubu administration, and they are justified, for he is president, and the buck stops at his desk. But the quality of the opposition is even much poorer, in fact, humiliating to the country.

  • Protesters withdraw from Abuja streets

    Protesters withdraw from Abuja streets

    • Security agencies begin probe to unmask sponsors
    • FCT back to life, security agencies intact on red alert

    Apparently weary #EndBadGovernance protesters yesterday withdrew from major roads of the Federal Capital Territory.

    But policemen and other security agents remain on red alert across the territory to forestall any fresh threat to peace.

    The security agencies are already investigating the root of the protest and its sponsors, some of whom are said to have gone underground following the Friday warning by the Chief of Defence Staff, General Christopher  Musa, that  the military might step in should  the looting  that characterised the protest in some parts of the country persist.

    Most of the protest’s hot spots in Abuja were empty yesterday despite a clement weather. Many of the protesters (who were mostly street urchins) were off the streets.

    Soldiers, policemen and other security agents had little to do at flashpoints like the Eagle Square, Unity Fountain, M.K. O. Abiola Stadium, Bannex, Diplomatic Area, Underbridge in Berger, Utako, Area 1, Wuse, Zone 3, Abuja-Lokoja Highway and Abuja-Kaduna Expressway.

    For the first time in 72 hours, major supermarkets and gas (filling) stations in the city opened to customers with enhanced security network and a strict 5pm closure time enforced by the police and other agencies.

    Motorists moved freely and all private transport companies started notifying customers of resumption of service to routes outside Abuja.

    It was learnt that apart from the threat by the military, most of the protesters, who used to come from the suburbs of the Federal Capital Territory, were disappointed by lack of mass support for the protest.

    The strength of each cell of about 10 groups of protesters was not up to 500 in a city of over three million people.

    It was also learnt that most of the protesters backed out because they were in short supply of logistics.

    Apart from going underground, most of the sponsors of the protesters, especially politicians, cut off provision of logistics including transportation and feeding to them.

    A top security source, who spoke in confidence, said: “We were shocked that the protesters have backed out of the marches.

    Read Also: CSOs, workers, students stay indoors as ill-informed youths take full charge of protests on Abuja streets

    “We got intelligence that their sponsors have stopped identifying with them and they have refused to provide logistics. No food, no water and no other perks.

    “All along, we detected that the protests were not organic. The marches were designed by some forces to achieve ulterior plans.

    “I think the sponsors got hints that security agencies were closing in on them to effect their arrest.

    “The security and intelligence agencies did the profiling of some of the protesters and it was confirmed that they came mostly from the suburbs of Abuja. Many of them did not even know what they were recruited for.

    “Contrary to the permutations of the sponsors, the protests did not enjoy mass appeal.

    “So most of the protesters felt alienated. The marches also assumed ethnic dimension.

    “The failure of the strike in many states in the South-West, South-East, North-Central and a few states in the North-East demoralised most of the protesters

    Responding to a question, the top source added: “The threat by the military to crush saboteurs made the protesters to be cautious and stay at home. No protester wants to face military tanks.

    “The truth is that on the second day of the protest, the police and security agents were more forceful in dispersing the protesters. The confrontations foretold what might happen on the third day.”

    A protester, who interacted with our correspondent, said: “No logistics, fatigue set in and no one is there for us. We decided not to participate on Saturday.”

    But the source said the police and security agencies were yesterday directed to remain on the alert.

    A service chief in the FCT said: “All security deployments against the protesters are intact. We were not sure if they retreated to restrategise.

    “The police and security agencies have been directed to remain on the alert.

    “But we will not take anything for granted. We want normal life and activities restored to the FCT.”

    As at press time, security and intelligence agencies had begun the probe the protests to unmask the sponsors and their “real” motives.

    Although there was an indication that the protests were politically motivated, the agencies were said to be taking a comprehensive stock.

    Some governors and politicians are suspected of fueling the protests.

    “We will unmask the sponsors despite the failure of the protests in about 25 out of 36 states of the federation.

    “The agencies are already working on some clues,” the source added.

  • Northern youths urge protesters to shun violence

    Northern youths urge protesters to shun violence

    …as NOPRIN seeks upgrade of police cells

    The Northern Youth Progressive Network (NYPN) has called for restraint among protesters to allow the Federal Government address their demands.

    The group noted that violent protests, which often leads to breakdown of law and order, couldn’t be the solution to the current predicaments confronting the nation.

    It urged the protesters to explore dialogue to draw the government’s attention to their plights.

    The Convener Northern Youths Progressive Network, Comr. Bala Mohammed said this in a statement on Friday in Abuja.

    The statement read: “The Northern Youth Progressive Network has observed with serious concern the violent dimension taken by the ongoing nationwide protest over economic hardship by Nigerian youths, especially across the Northern part of the country.

    “Report reaching us indicates that the protest has suddenly turned violent with large-scale destruction and vandalisation of public infrastructures across some Northern cities of Kano, Kaduna and parts of the FCT while Adamawa, Sokoto, Katsina and Nasarawa have witnessed peaceful procession so far.

    “We want to acknowledge that violent protests, which often lead to break down of law and order cannot be the solution to the current predicaments confronting the nation; rather, dialogue should be explored as the essential tool to draw Government attention to our plights.

    “If we burn down the nation because we are hungry, there may not be any nation for us to pursue legitimate means of feeding ourselves after the damage may have been caused by anger.

    “We call for restraint among our youths to allow the Government to address the issues already expressed through our actions to prevent the situation from degenerating into anarchy.

    “We equally urge the Federal and various state governments to quickly intervene to halt the carnage in many Northern States and as well as address some of the pressing demands of the protesters to restore order to the Nation.

    Read Also: Kill bandits, not protesters, Ajaero tells Police

    “We appreciate the administration of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu for rolling out several measures to contain the prevailing economic hardship, which are not peculiar to Nigeria, but we call for speedy implementation of such policies to cushion the hardship on vulnerable people who are easily being used by evil forces to destabilise the nation.”

    Meanwhile, the Network On Police Reforms In Nigeria (NOPRIN) has said there is a critical need for reforms in police detention facilities across the country.

    The organisation called for a collective responsibility to ensure that these facilities are upgraded to meet international standards.

    The Vice Chairperson of NOPRIN, Felicitas Aigbogun, stated this at the public presentation of a comprehensive report on the state of some police detention facilities in Nigeria.

    “The findings of this report highlight a critical need for reforms in our police detention facilities. It is our collective responsibility to ensure that these facilities are humane and meet international standards,” Aigbogun stated.

    The report was put together by NOPRIN, in partnership with the Judiciary, the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) and with the support of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) through funding support from the German Federal Foreign Office.

  • JUST IN: Protesters vow mother-of-all-protest in Lagos on Monday

    JUST IN: Protesters vow mother-of-all-protest in Lagos on Monday

    After two days of demonstrations across the country, the #EndBadGovernance protesters at the Freedom Park, Ojota have vowed to mobilise for mother-of-all-protest in Lagos on Monday. 

    They declared the venue of the ongoing protest will shift to the Secretariat of the Lagos State Government at Alausa in Ikeja.

    The protesters also lamented that they were being restricted by security operatives from exercising their constitutional rights of protest.

    One of the organisers said: “Our initial plan was to mobilize resources tomorrow, allow people rest, and then on Monday the mother of all protests would take place at Alausa. 

    Read Also: Protesters vow to storm Lagos streets if demands not met

    “But they said some people are saying since Muslims held prayers on Friday, therefore, Christians want to hold worship here tomorrow as well.

    “On Monday, we are to converge on Ojota by 7 am from where they’ll head to Alausa.”

    Details shortly…

  • Protesters vow to storm Lagos streets if demands not met

    Protesters vow to storm Lagos streets if demands not met

    #EndBadGovernance protesters in Lagos say they will storm the streets from Monday to begin a new phase of the ongoing protest if government does not grant their demands.

    One of the coordinators of the protest, Mr Hassan Soweto, a member of the Youth Rights Campaign, said this while addressing the gathering at the Gani Fawehinmi Park on Saturday.

    The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that a court order obtained before the start of the nationwide action had restricted all protests in the state to the park.

    The protesters would be defying the court order if they carry out the threat.

    Soweto said protesters would cease occupying the park in Ojota and start marching through the streets if their demands were not met by Sunday night .

    The activist said that they had since been restricted to the park, adding that they would take their march to Alausa, the seat of government,if government does not act.

    He said there would  be no protest at the park on Sunday, urging residents to go to their places of worship to pray for  peace in the land .

    Soweto called on the police to check the activities of suspected hoodlums, trying to cause problems at the park.

    NAN observed that the police barricaded the service lane on Ikorodu Road for the protesters, leaving the BRT and two other lanes for motorists.
    .
    It also observed that there were more vehicles on the road on Saturday, compared to the low vehicular traffic on Thursday and Friday.

    Read Also: Rivers protesters obstruct Fubara’s convoy

    NAN further observed that commercial activities have picked up in Ojota and environs as more shops opened for business.

    The Commissioner of Police in Lagos State, Mr Adegoke Fayoade, was still on ground  ,leading other security agents to provide protection for the protesters for the third day.

    The Command’s spokesperson, SP Benjamin Hundeyin, told NAN that no protester was arrested on Friday.

    (NAN)

  • Military on standby to restore order, CDS warns protesters

    Military on standby to restore order, CDS warns protesters

    • •Normalcy returning in Lagos, Abuja, Sokoto, Anambra, others
    • •Curfew in Katsina, Jigawa, Niger, Keffi LG
    • •Uzodimma hails Southeasterners for shunning violence; AbdulRazak, Oyebanji too
    • •End protest now, CAN, Sultan, Adegboruwa, others appeal
    • •Police share water with protesters in Lagos; detain 326 in Kano, 81 in Sokoto

    The Defence Headquarters yesterday reviewed the looting that characterized Thursday’s #EndBadGovernance protests in parts of country, and warned that the military might step  in  should  such an act of lawlessness persist.

    Chief of Defence Staff, Christopher Musa, said that although the police have done a good job so far in dealing with the situation, the military “are just on standby”  to assist them in restoring order.

    Lawyer to one of the chief organisers of the protest, Take It Back Movement, Ebun Adegboruwa (SAN), expressed regret at the deaths and material losses recorded during the demonstrations, saying it was not the goal of the protests.

    He asked the youths to suspend their action forthwith.

    But he was countered by Convener of the #RevolutionNow movement, Omoyele Sowore,who insisted that the protest would continue.

    Socio-economic activities, which were interrupted across the country on Thursday at the onset of the protests, appeared to be regaining steam yesterday in Lagos, Ogun, Oyo, Enugu, Sokoto, Calabar and   many  other parts of the federation.

    However, peaceful processions still took place in a few places yesterday in Port Harcourt, Ojota in Lagos and Osogbo,Osun State.

    Highlight of the Ojota, Lagos protest was the distribution of  table water to the protesters by police officers deployed to the scene to keep the peace.

    Abuja was relatively calm despite a shouting bout  between the protesters and law enforcement agents.

    The police confirmed 507  arrests in  three states alone in the aftermath of the Thursday protests.

    Influential organisations including the Nigeria Inter Religion Committee (NIREC),Pan Niger Delta Forum (PANDEF),Committee for the Defence of Human Rights (CDHR) and the Yoruba Council Worldwide  yesterday pleaded with  the protesters to hold fire.

    General Musa, in an assessment of the protest at a press conference in Abuja yesterday, said the military had been on standby providing support to the police and other security agencies since the beginning of the protest, adding that they would not stand by and watch things get out of hand.

    The CDS said the military was determined to ensure total peace in all parts of the country with the support of all Nigerians.

    He said that while the military recognised that there were challenges, it would not allow criminals or individuals with  hatred for the government to take advantage of the situation to destroy the country.

    He said: “We should realise that these destructions and monies have to be used — monies for development will have to be used to develop these things so we can move forward, and so instead of doing that, we should come together to make sure nothing is destroyed.

    “We want to warn those that are recalcitrant, those that don’t want to listen, that we will not fold our hands and see our country destroyed.

    “We will take action, and the action that we’ll take will be professional. Anyone who is caught will be taken to the courts to be dealt with.

    “Let us avoid anything that will bring mayhem within our communities.

    Musa said the military have  remained professional in their  conducts since the commencement of the protest.

    He said that the federal government has shown its commitment by upholding its promise of allowing people to associate freely.

    “Clearly, the security forces have done extremely well and I’m very happy to mention one, especially the Nigerian police force, have shown a lot of professionalism, including where members of the armed forces had to step in.

    “You can see that we have remained very professional in our conduct and we will continue to do that as long as the citizens also understand that there is a difference between peace and criminality.

    “What we saw yesterday was, at the beginning, some semblance of a very peaceful demonstration, but which was quickly taken over by a bunch of criminals that don’t mean us well.

    “And if you remember, we have warned that there are individuals that are ready to cause mayhem once this starts.

    “And so I want to appeal to Nigerians to understand that the federal government is doing the best it can for the country.”

    Normalcy returning in Lagos, Abuja, Sokoto, Anambra, others

    Many citizens who had stayed indoors for much of Thursday for fear of being attacked by the protesters were back at work yesterday.

    So were many vehicles that had been taken off the road.

    Shops, malls, department stores, banks  and  some other business premises also opened for normal transactions especially in Okota, Ejigbo, Isolo, Lekki,Oshodi  and other parts of Lagos.

    The situation was not different in Ibadan,Abeokuta and Otta both in Ogun State, Enugu,Aba and Sokoto.

    Security operatives fired teargas canisters to stop the  protesters from  marching  from the MKO Abiola Stadium,Abuja  to the  Eagle Square where protesting groups had planned to converge for a rally.

    The protesters had earlier converged on different parts of Abuja, including the Berger Roundabout in Wuse Zone 6, as early as 9:06 am, before marching to the MKO Abiola Stadium. 

    A helicopter was spotted flying over the stadium as protesters gathered, adding to the tense atmosphere.

    Security agents, including personnel from the Army Headquarters Garrison Command, NSCDC, and DSS, were deployed in full force especially around key government buildings in the Central Area and the Three Arms Zone.

    Vehicular traffic was light along major roads in the nation’s capital, with security personnel in riot gear stationed at strategic places ostensibly to avoid a repeat of the riots witnessed during Thursday’s protest, when miscreants took advantage to cause mayhem.

    Across the  metropolis and the satellite towns, many residents did not come out for their usual daily schedules as they waited to see the direction of events on the second day of the 10-day protest.

    Many private and public sector employees who got stranded on Thursday because of the availability of very few buses and taxis to take them back to the satellite towns easily found cause to casually add Friday to an extended weekend.

    The few commuters who ventured out yesterday  afternoon had  had a tough time getting transport to their destinations.

    In Ibadan, more business premises    opened shop while petrol stations dispensed products to motorists.

    Though, residents of Enugu State did not join the Thursday protest, economic activities were in full swing yesterday at Ogbete Market, Kenyatta, New Market, and others.

    Banks, offices and street shops similarly opened for business.

     Protesters who took over  Sokoto roads on Thursday were nowhere to be seen yesterday.

    The popular Ahmadu Bello Way, Emir Yahaya, Ungwan Rogo, Gidan Man Ada, Gidan Igwai , Tudun Wada , Kofar Atiku, Marina, Mabera, Gagi, Arkilla, Sokoto-Birnin Kebbi road, Old Airport Area, among others,  were free for motorists.

    Markets and other business premises were also back in business.

    However, some residents under the banner  of  Progressive Nigeria Movement, staged a counter protest in support of President Bola Tinubu,Governor Ahmed Aliyu and Senator Aliyu Magatakarda Wamakko.

    They said the #EndBadGovernance/hunger protest was sponsored by losers in the 2023 general elections.

    “As Nigerians, we are honestly amused by the slogan of #endbadgovernance#. This is more so that, we can vividly recall the degree of people- oriented policies of this present government. And for Sokoto in particular, we, the resident communities are solidly behind Senator Aliyu Magatakarda Wamakko, Governor Ahmed Aliyu Sokoto and President Bola Ahmed Tinubu led government,” spokesman for the group, Jacob Shehu,said.

     Commercial activities also  resumed yesterday in Calabar.

    Businesses that were  closed on Day 1 of the protest, were opened for customers as early as 9 a.m. yesterday.

    The popular Marian Market was in full swing for normal businesses, while commercial motorists operated normally across the metropolis.

    Also, fuel stations dispensed products yesterday.

    Turnout for the Day 2 of the protest in Osogbo,capital of Osun State yesterday was low.

    The protesters had converged on  Nelson Mandela Freedom Park from where  they marched through Orisunbare to Ola-Iya where they observed the Jumat.

    Police confirm 507 arrests

     The Police confirmed yesterday that they arrested 326 suspects in Kano,81 in Sokoto and 50 each in Katsina  and Jigawa states for  alleged involvement in the looting and destruction of property on Thursday.

     All the 326 arrested in Kano were paraded by the police yesterday.

    Among them are five women and 21 children aged below 15 years.

     Recovered from the suspects, according to the police,are  AK47 rifles, bags of rice, jerry cans of vegetable oil, air conditioners, cartons of noodles, cosmetics, furniture, and laptops among others.

    The Kano protesters  had targeted the newly completed  Digital Industrial Park (DIP) of the  Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC), the gate of Government House  and malls.

     Police spokesman, Abdullahi Kiyawa, said  the suspects would  be prosecuted in due course.

    The Sokoto State Police Commissioner, Ali Hayatu Kaigama, said the suspects got it wrong by destroying  public property.

    H said they would  face the full wrath of the law.

    The Police Command in Katsina State said the 50 suspected miscreants in its custody vandalised street lights and stole cables, solar panels and poles.

    They also allegedly destroyed drainages, culverts and removed rods, among others.

    Jigawa Police Command’s spokesperson, DSP Lawan Shiisu, told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Dutse that no fewer than 50 suspected hoodlums were arrested on Thursday.

    Read Also: Normalcy returns to Abuja after protesters’ clash with security operatives

    Despite the arrests, some protesters in the state  returned to the streets yesterday in continuation of their protest, ignoring  the 24-hour curfew imposed by the state government.

    In Dutse, no fewer than 50 suspected hoodlums were arrested on Thursday.

    Shiisu, who also confirmed the return of the protesters to the streets in Zai, Shuwarin and Gumel town, could not immediately give figures of those arrested yesterday  for violating the curfew.

    The spokesperson said that the police and other security agencies were on top of the situation in the state, adding that the combined security forces had succeeded in dispersing the hoodlums from the streets.

    “Yes, we have made arrests in Shuwarin and Zai, but I cannot give you the number of those arrested immediately because they are still bringing them in.

    “As for Gumel, we are yet to receive any information regarding resistance by the hoodlums,” he said.

     Edo protesters barricade roads; motorists, pedestrians groan

    Roads and major streets in Benin and its environs were barricaded for the second day running yesterday by protesters leaving motorists and pedestrians stranded for hours.

    The protesters erected a podium on Ring Road, playing music and dancing in the rain.

     Adegboruwa   regrets  turn of event,calls for suspension of action

    Adegboruwa, lawyer to Take It Back Movement, one of the groups participating in the protest  said they did not expect it to end in tragedy.

    He regretted the deaths and losses recorded during the protests, and said this was never the goal of the organisers.

     “Though the intention of the organisers was to achieve peaceful and well-coordinated protests, it would seem that fifth columnists and some angry persons infiltrated the ranks of the protesters to derail their laudable mission,” the senior advocate said in a statement yesterday

    He appealed  to the protesters to “withdraw themselves from their various protest grounds and to suspend the protests immediately and indefinitely, in order to give room for meaningful dialogue and engagement with the government.

    “Given that the protests were said to have been hijacked by sponsored agents, it is necessary to avoid further losses and casualties.

    “The organisers of the protests and their representatives should embrace dialogue with the government,” he said.

    He expressed his “sincere condolences to the employers and families of the security personnel and also to the protesters, praying to God to comfort them and to grant them the fortitude to bear the irreparable losses.”

    Adegboruwa further called on President Bola Tinubu to “directly address the nation and then engage the protesters, through their representatives.”

    He said the government should thereafter set up a committee comprising men and women of integrity to meet with the protesters to address the issues that they have raised.

    Sowore disagrees, says protest continues

    Sowore, in a counter statement said  the  protest would  continue.

     “We want to notify the public that in addition to street marches, those at home should engage in pot & pan protests against hunger, poverty and starvation,” he said on X.

    Enough, says PANDEF

    Spokesman for PANDEF, Mr. Ken Robinson, said the protesters have made their point and their voice heard by government.

    His words: “In light of reports of looting, destruction, and loss of lives in some parts of the country, PANDEF urges the protesters in some states of the region to end their protests to prevent criminal elements from hijacking the process and causing disruptions to the relative peace in the region.

    “It is important to note that the point has already been made. YOUR VOICE HAS BEEN HEARD!

    “We call on the government at all levels to take necessary and urgent steps to address the difficulties citizens are facing.”

    NIREC calls for calm over nationwide hunger protest

     A similar appeal came from the Nigeria Inter-Religious Council (NIREC).

     Co-chairmen of the group, His Eminence Muhammed Sa’ad Abubakar  and Archbishop Daniel Okoh, expressed sadness over the tragedy sparked by the protests.

    Abubakar is the  Sultan of Sokoto and President-General, Nigerian Supreme Council for Islamic Affairs (NSCIA) while Okoh is the  President, Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN).

    They said:“The protest that commenced in a peaceful manner on Thursday, August 1, 2024 despite pleas from all quarters, took a turn for the worse and became violent later in the day. In just a few hours, lives and property were lost due to this unfortunate scenario.

    “It is without doubt that there is hunger and hardship in the country but civil unrest is not the solution as it would only further aggravate the already frail state of the nation. NIREC hereby calls on fellow citizens of Nigeria to please call off this protest and give the Government a chance to redeem itself.

     “In just one day, lives and enormous amounts of property have been destroyed. Imagine if this continues for a prolonged period of time, only God knows the extent of damage that would be incurred.”

     The Council called on the security agencies to be more professional in the discharge of their duties.

     NIREC urged the government to expedite action towards meeting the yearning and needs of the citizens.

    CDHR urges protesters to withdraw, assess government’s response

     One of the foremost Civil Society Organisations in the country, Committee for the Defence of Human Rights (CDHR), urged organisers of #EndBadGovernance nationwide protest to withdraw from the streets  and assess government’s response.

    The CDHR President, Mr Debo Adeniran,who  made the appeal in an interview with  the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Lagos, decried the looting, violence and deaths that characterised  the protest in some states, said it was imperative for protesters to withdraw from the  streets.

    Yoruba Council Worldwide urges dialogue

    The President, Yoruba Council Worldwide, Oladotun Hassan, asked the  protesters to embrace peace and end the violence.

     Hassan said while his group acknowledged the fundamental rights of the protesters “protest has born no good children in history other than violence, breakdown of laws and orders, brigandage, breach of public peace, unrest, malicious damages to properties and most gruesome deaths.

     “Having regards to #ENDSARS cum recent Kenyan protests and its concomitant gruesome consequences, we must strike a balance to rights. The proponents of protest need to equally respect the rights of those not interested vice-versa. Consequently, the right to protest is no collective right, but individual rights.

    Con’td from page 5

    “The right of those people who believe not in protest must as well be recognised and protected.

     “Whilst protest is ongoing, the protesters should not impugn on the rights of anti-protest citizens to free movement, free business and daily transaction atmosphere feat-free.

     “Fellow Compatriots, let us embrace peace and end the violence and protests. Together, we can find solutions through dialogue and cooperation. Our unity is our strength.”

    Uzodimma hails South Easterners for shunning violence

     Imo State Governor, Hope Uzodimma, commended South Easterners for “heeding our appeal not to join the nationwide protest.”

    “Your wisdom in recognising the potential danger of hijackers targeting peaceful demonstrators is truly commendable. While peaceful protest is undoubtedly a right of the people, your decision to prioritize safety and stability showcases great prudence,” he said on X.

    He added: “ It is unfortunate that those who contributed to our current economic challenges, are now the ones sponsoring protests instead of working with FG for resolution. This reaction comes simply because we have a President who is courageous enough to dismantle the entrenched cabal exploiting our common resources.

    “ President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has shown compassion and determination in addressing the inherited challenges. He deserves our unwavering support as he works towards a more prosperous future. Let us stand united in this mission with dialogue, which remains the best path to achieving our demands.”

    Oyebanji lauds Ekiti people over peaceful conduct

    Governor  Biodun Oyebanji of Ekiti State hailed the people of the state for their peaceful conduct during the protest.

    Oyebanji gave the commendation in a statement issued by his Special Adviser on Media, Mr Yinka Oyebode, yesterday in Ado-Ekiti.

     The governor, who had, in a statewide broadcast on Wednesday, appealed for calm, said he was thankful to residents of the state for shunning violence and embracing peace.

     He urged them to continue to toe the path of peace, assuring that the current economic challenges would soon become a thing of the past.

    AbdulRazaq grateful to Kwarans for eschewing protest

     Kwara State Governor AbdulRahman Abdulrazaq applauded residents of the state both young and old for opting for peace and harmony.

    He specifically commended the people of the state for shunning the temptation to repeat ugly history.

    “I am again proud of every Kwaran today. The peace in the state is a true reflection of who we are, and we should continue along that path. This is our state, the only one we have; we should not do anything that may bring violence, hurt one another, or lead to loss of lives and properties. We do not need it.

     “I wholeheartedly acknowledge the wisdom of our people, old and young, who have chosen the viable option of positive engagement, safety, peace, and harmony. God bless you all,” the governor said in a statement.

    Jigawa, Katsina, Keffi LG impose curfew

    The Jigawa and Katsina State governments have imposed a 24- hour curfew to stem the violence that accompanied the protest.

    A similar action was taken by the authorities of the Keffi Local Government in Nasarawa State.

    Governor  Umar Namadi of Jigawa in a broadcast yesterday described the development in the state as unfortunate.

     “The situation in which the peaceful demonstration turned violent characterised by destruction and looting is totally unaccepted and it is not in our culture, therefore, we will not allow it to continue unabated,” he said.

    “Together with security agencies, we will continue to study the situation and take appropriate action to safeguard the lives and property of the people against miscreants and hoodlums across the state.”

    The Secretary to the Katsina State Government , Alhaji Abdullahi Garba-Faskari who announced the imposition of the curfew said the Acting Governor, Malam Faruq Jobe, has also banned unusual gatherings and all types of protest across the state.

    He explained further that the decision followed an emergency State Security Council meeting convened on the report of breakdown of law and order in some parts of the state as a result of the nationwide protest.

    The Chairman of Keffi Local Government Area in  Nasarawa State, Alhaji Muhammad Baba-Shehu said, the protest in the locality had taken a dimension that was  out of control.

     He urged all residents  to keep in doors between 6pm and 6am  forthwith in the interest of their own  security.

    We’ll tame attempts to import miscreants into Kebbi — Idris

    Kebbi State  Governor  Nasir Idris of Kebbi warned  those trying to import miscreants into Kebbi to cause mayhem to desist.