- Curfew in Kano, Borno, Yobe
- 11 killed in four states
- No protest in Ekiti, Ebonyi, Abia, Anambra, Kwara,
- Kogi, Kebbi, Akwa Ibom, Benue, Ondo
- Police disperse demonstrators in Abuja
The protests recorded a mixed grill yesterday.
It was peaceful in Lagos, the nation’s commercial capital, Oyo, Ogun, Osun, Ondo, Rivers, Plateau and Cross River.
But it turned violent in parts of the North such as Kano, Kaduna, Borno, Gombe, Niger, Jigawa and partly in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).
Youths in some states declined to participate. These are Ondo, Ekiti in the Southwest; Kogi, Kwara and Benue in the Northcentral; Kebi in the Northwest, Akwa Ibom in the Southsouth and four Southeast states – Anambra, Enugu, Abia and Ebonyi.
No fewer than 11 eleven people were killed in four states during the violence that accompanied the protests.
A police station in Nyanya, Abuja and the secretariat of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Dutse, Jigawa State, were torched.
The police used teargas to disperse some protesters, who attempted to seize Eagle Square.
As feared by the security agencies, hoodlums hijacked the protest and went on a looting spree in Kano, Borno, Yobe and Edo, forcing governors of these states, except Edo, to slam curfew on the first day of what the organisers said would last for 10 days.
Lagos
Protesters in Lagos stayed mainly around the Gani Fawehinmi Freedom Park in the Ojota area, in line with the order of the court.
Earlier in the day, a band of demonstrators gathered under the Obafemi Awolowo Way Bridge in Ikeja, from where they marched to the Freedom Park.
The police gave them cover during the procession and stayed with them throughout the day.
At about 2 pm, they brought musical instruments from where songs of the late Fela Anikulapo Kuti were played with protesters singing along and dancing.
Another group of protesters, who went to Lekki Tollgate in the afternoon, were dispersed by the police.
Businesses were paralysed in the commercial capital, except at the seaports and airports. (see more on pages 2 and 29).
Abuja
Hoodlums hijacked the protest in the FCT.
They took over major roads leading to the city and other satellite towns.
Organisers had headed to the Moshood Abiola Stadium, Abuja in compliance with a court order but on arrival, met a large number of security men.
They were told by the operatives that they were there to maintain order and enforce the court’s restrictions.
Activist-lawyer Deji Adeyanju led the protesters in singing solidarity songs.
FCT Commissioner of Police Bennet Igweh asked the protesters to move into the stadium complex instead of staying outside but the organisers insisted on staying outside.
After an hour, the protesters moved into the city through the Central Business District (CBD) to Eagle Square where the protest was hijacked, leading to violence.
At that point, security agents started shooting teargas canisters to disperse them from gathering around the Ministry of Foreign Affairs near the Federal Secretariat.
While close to Labour House, the protesters barricaded the road leading to the Mabushi axis of the city, holding sticks.
Along the popular Abuja-Kubwa Expressway down to Dei-dei and Bwari town, the roads were like a war zone with battalions of soldiers.
Hundreds of protesters believed to be urchins brandished sticks, barricaded all the lanes and made burn fire with tyres.
The situation degenerated around the Kugbo to Nyanya stretch of the Abuja-Keffi highway.
The miscreants vandalised public utilities and looted shops.
The security agents prevented the urchins from gaining entrance into the Abuja city centre.
The move yielded some significant results as they successfully pushed them back to Mararaba and thereafter opened the roads.
This, however, did not stop the hoodlums from extorting motorists and smashing their vehicle windscreens. Some motorists were injured.
Police fired tear gas as youths set up a bonfire in Kurudu, Abuja, as shops failed to open at Karu market
The Police in the Kurudu area, a suburb of Abuja metropolis, clashed with youths attempting to set up bonfires on some roads.
The youths claimed that they wanted to draw attention to their grievances, while the police said they were working to maintain restore normalcy to the area.
Curfew
Curfew was imposed on three states – Kano, Borno and Yobe – to avert a further breakdown of law and order.
In Kano, 13 persons were arrested by security agents for their involvement in the mayhem.
Governor Abba Yusuf imposed the curfew after the multi-million naira Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) Digital Industrial Park (DIP) and the state High Court were vandalised by urchins who allegedly infiltrated the protesters.
Yusuf, who blamed the violence on “enemies of Kano,” directed security agencies to ensure “full and immediate compliance” of residents with the curfew.
The governor, in a broadcast, said: “This morning (yesterday), we received the representatives of the peaceful protesters where they submitted their demands in writing which I promised to deliver to Mr. President.
“While I commend the vast majority of peaceful protesters who stated their concerns responsibly, it is however, regrettable to say that, the whole protest that was meant to be a demonstration of the democratic right to voice our concerns was hijacked by thugs and hoodlums who embarked on looting of business premises, government properties and maiming of innocent citizens.
“After exhaustive deliberations during Emergency State Security Council meeting, it was collectively decided that 24-hour curfew should be put in place to prevent further looting and vandalism of shops including indiscriminate killing and maiming of innocent citizens.”
Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) said it arrested 32 suspects for looting shops in the Sabon Gari Area of Fagge Local Government Area of Kano State.
The Borno State Police command said a curfew was imposed following a blast in Kawuri village, Konduga LGA that claimed 19 lives.
Police Public Relations Officer Nahum Daso, said the decision was taken after consultation with Governor Babagana Zulum.
Daso said: “In line with our constitutional mandate towards the restoration of law and order, His Excellency, the Executive Governor of Borno State, Prof. Babagana Umar Zulum, in consultation with heads of security in the state, finds it expedient to declare a 24-hour curfew in the state with immediate effect.”
Before the curfew, four workers of a filling station in Bolori Junction in Maiduguri were said to have died during the protest.
There were, however, different accounts of what led to their deaths.
While a man, who gave his name as Malam Musa, said they were killed by an explosion, another source said the deceased were hit by stray bullets.
“I was opposite the filling station when the incident happened. There was nothing like a blast.
“We just heard sporadic gunshots and the boys were down. Four of them died instantly,” said the source, who asked not to be named.
Seven buses burnt in Yobe
Curfew was also imposed on some councils in Yobe State where seven mass transit buses were burnt. The buses were burnt in Potiskum.
Potiskum LGA is also one of the three councils affected by the curfew. The others are Gashua and Nguru
Dairy Abdulsalam, special adviser to Governor Mai Mala-Buni on Security Matters, urged the public to abide by the curfew for peace to reign in the affected areas and the state at large.
Communications, Innovation and Digital Economy Minister, Bosun Tijani, lamented the destruction and looting of the park.
He said: “Sad to learn that our Digital Innovation Park in Kano, slated for launch next week to support our technical talent accelerator (3MTT), has been set ablaze and looted by protesters.
“Alongside #3MTT, this building is set to host our buildathon holiday maker programme for secondary school kids starting next week. A slight setback for our journey to deepening our workforce for technology while creating job opportunities for the youth. Millions of Naira down the drain.”
Six die,11 arrested in Niger, council secretariat looted
Six youths were killed and many others injured during the protest in Suleja, Niger State when police tried to disperse them with teargas.
Angered by the development, the youth who trooped out in their numbers, around 11 am began throwing stones and sticks at policemen. They vandalised a patrol vehicle marked NPF 9102C.
Hundreds of travellers were stranded for hours at the Suleja axis of the Abuja-Kaduna highway by the protesters.
In Tafa Local Government Area, another set of protesters broke the gates of the council secretariat and burnt two vehicles. They attempted to loot offices in the complex but were repelled by a combined Army and Police team that raced there and arrested 11.
The state Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO), Wasiu Abiodun, confirmed the Tafa council incident but was silent on the killings in Suleja.
Kaduna
Protesters in Kaduna vandalised and looted the headquarters of the state Traffic Law Enforcement Agency (KASTLEA) and Kaduna Investment Promotion Agency (KADIPA).
The protesters stormed the Sokoto Road headquarters of KASTLEA and KADIPA on their way back from the state Government House.
Twenty-five of the perpetrators were held by security agents.
Some of the protesters occupied the ever-busy Ahmadu Bello Way, Alkali Road, Kawo Road, and Tudun Wada Road in the early hours of yesterday with placards that read “Bring back fuel subsidy and stop banditry’’
Cross River
In Calabar, Cross Rivers State, a journalist, Jonathan Ugbal and some protesters were arrested by security agents along Marian Road.
A female protester, Agnes Emmanuel, said the arrested persons were made to lie down before being flogged and handcuffed.
Sokoto
In Sokoto where under-aged persons participated in the protest, bonfires were made on major highways by the hoodlums who infiltrated the protesters. They destroyed pavements separating the dualised Ahmadu Bello Way and Sokoto Road.
Gombe
The protesters in Gombe pelted stones at the Gombe State Government House and wreaked havoc on properties on the Jekadafari axis of the Gombe Local Government Area.
The Public Relations Officer of the state Police command, Buhari Abdullahi, confirmed the development.
“The situation is under control. We are managing the situation the situation now is relatively calm. We are trying to talk to them so that they can consider dialogue,” Abdullahi said.
Bauchi
The police in Bauchi State dispersed youths with tear gas who gathered at the popular Wunti Gate before heading towards the Emir of Bauchi’s palace.
The youths who carried placards and chanted slogans in Hausa, such as “Ba ma yi” (“we are not interested”) and “Bring back fuel subsidy,” had insisted on seeing the Emir when the police fired tear gas at them.
Commissioner of Police Auwal Mohammed had earlier engaged them at a point along Yelwa Road.
Zamfara
In Zamfara State, joint security forces comprising the Nigerian Police and the Army used teargas to disperse protesters who mounted a roadblock near the Government House in Gusau.
Tension rose when the protesters refused to disperse despite warnings from the security agents. In response, the police deployed teargas while soldiers used their Armoured Personnel Carriers to disperse them.
Nasarawa
The Police Command in Nasarawa State said it detained 50 protesters for allegedly attacking police personnel and causing the breakdown of law and order.
Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO) in the state, Ramhan Nansel, said 16 of them were apprehended in Karu, six in Keffi, and three in Mararaba-Udege in Nasarawa Local Government Areas.
APC headquarters in Jigawa torched
The headquarters of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Jigawa State was torched.
THE NATION
