Day hoodlums shut down Minna

Niger State is considered one of the most peaceful states in the country. It has no denting record of either political, social, ethnic or religious crises, hence the concentration of people from all walks of life, particularly people of South-Eastern extraction of the country. However, in the recent past,  the peaceful native of Minna metropolis […]

Niger State is considered one of the most peaceful states in the country. It has no denting record of either political, social, ethnic or religious crises, hence the concentration of people from all walks of life, particularly people of South-Eastern extraction of the country.

However, in the recent past,  the peaceful native of Minna metropolis and, indeed, the state as whole, has been derailed, assuming a different  dimension characterized by frequent eruption of  violence that most often than not, leads to loss of lives and wanton destruction of properties.

Last year, there was post presidential election upheaval, followed by a series of bomb blasts in Suleja Local Government Area, as well as skirmishes following the anti-fuel subsidy removal protests  that turned violent  and on each occasion, it claimed lives and properties, put at several millions of naira.

Though crises erupted in many states of the federation during the anti-fuel subsidy removal protests, yet the loss of lives and the high level of destruction of private and public property in Minna metropolis  could be rated as one of the biggest under the guise of protests over the withdrawal of fuel subsidy in the country.

The situation went out of hand in the state capital when hoodlums hijacked the peaceful protest,  initially spearheaded by organized labour unions on Wednesday, when the anti-subsidy removal protest entered its third day.

On that fateful day,  the protest rally began  in Minna  as early as 7 am when a group of youths gathered under the umbrella of Youth Frontier Conference at the popular Mobil round about, chanting anti-government slogans and calling for the reversal of  petroleum pump price to its original rate of N 65 per liter.

The youths, who assembled for the protest, carrying placards with various inscriptions, demanding government to reverse its decision, were conducting themselves in an orderly manner with all indications they were willing to stage their protest rally peacefully.

But before the procession could kick start at around 9:30am, there was a sudden rupture of protests that  turned to violence. It spontaneously sparked in all parts of Minna metropolis, leading to the mounting of roadblocks and bonfires thereby restricting movement in totality.

An hour later,  the state capital came under siege, as the protest was hijacked by miscreants who were trooping out to the streets like a swarm of bees, leading to the mounting of barricades on all the major and less busy streets  of the state capital. The protesting youths,  the majority of whom  are underaged aided in inflaming the already charged atmosphere popular Mobil round about, Bosso Road, by Government House junction as well as Democracy Garden/Old Airport Quarters Road were blocked and by 11am, bonfires were set on all these roads.

It was around the same time that IBB Centre, which is the campaign office of the state governor, Dr Mu’azu Babangida Aliyu, at Mobil round about, an edifice housing the chamber of the state Deputy Chairman of  the PDP along Bosso road  and the house of Senator  Dahiru Awaisu Kuta along Okada Road, were all turned to rubbles, after they were set ablaze.

Shortly after, at about 12:30pm, a group of youths in their thousands wielding dangerous weapons and chanting anti-government slogans, headed towards the Independent National Electoral commission (INEC) along David Mark Road and set the place ablaze, too, leaving eight cars, including the official vehicle of the Resident Electoral Commissioner, burnt to ashes while several others smashed.

About two hours later, after the rampaging youths were assumed to have been dispersed, after a running battle with the police in attempt to force their way to Government House from Bosso/Government House junction, the youths  re-converged on Democracy Garden Road, set 10 vehicles ablaze and smashed seven belonging to the Internal Revenue Board.

At Senator Dahiru Awaisu’s house, several vehicles were set on fire when the house was torched by the protesting youths.

Speaking to one of the protesters who identified himself as Bala, this repoter learnt that the rioters took to the street because they perceived it was the 36 governors of the federation that pushed them to take laws into their hands because they supported the federal government in its bid to remove the fuel subsidy.

He said, “If it will take us to the next three months of struggle, I am ready to sacrifice my life and I am ready to trek down to Abuja to protest the removal of fuel subsidy”.

The aggrieved youth, who  said he wais a university student, told Sunday Trust that he was willing to lay down his life if that will force the federal government to reverse its decision by restoring the old price of N 65 per liter.

According to him, few days after the announcement of the fuel subsidy withdrawal by the federal government, the price of virtually every commodity skyrocketed, lamenting  that without a corresponding increase in the income of already impoverished Nigerians.

Considering the magnitude of destruction and a total break down of law and order in the state capital, it did not take the Niger State government a second thought to imposed a 24-hour curfew on all the 25 local government areas of the state.

The 24-hour curfew was relaxed by 12 hours three days later while the state government  said it would not  hesitate to revert to the status quo should there be any breach of law and order from any quarter again.

However, despite the high level of violence that was recorded in the state capital, no life was lost, until a day after the curfew was imposed in the state when some protesting youths in Lambata town of Gawu Babangida Local Government Area met their waterloo. Armed policemen on sentry, ensuring that the curfew was imposed all over the state, ran into them and shot two to death.

An eye witness, Ibrahim Musa, told Sunday Trust that the youths were on the highway in Lambata town, which is about 90 kilometers from Minna, the state capital, on a peaceful protest rally, when the police opened fire on them.

He added that Yahaya Adamu Ciroma, and Rabi’u Abubakar, both 26-year-old, were shot by the police and eventually the two died before reaching the hospital for medical intervention in Wuse, Tafa local government area.

One of the protesters who does not want his name in , said, they were not aware that curfew was imposed in the state because it was not given adequate publicity and that was the reason they were on the street.

According to him, if they were aware of the curfew, they would not have taken to the streets for the protest rally, taking into cognizance the fact that they were only protesting  their legitimate right and within the law that permitted them to air their grievances against any government policy considered unpalatable as enshrined in the constitution.

Adamu Ciroma is the father of one of the deceased,  Yahaya Adamu Ciroma. He said his son was not even part of the protesting youths, adding that he was an onlooker by the roadside, but when the police arrived at  the scene of the protest he became the first target shot on his stomach.

He added that his late son died on their way to Umaru Musa Yar’adua hospital in new Wuse, saying, “you know all the hospitals in the state were on strike. We therefore had to rush to Wuse to see whether we will be attended to at. But, unfortunately, the boy died  before reaching hospital”.

As in the case of late Ciroma, the second deceased was also said to have been shot in his stomach, and he passed on on the way to the same hospital. The two victims have since been buried in Lambata.

Six persons among the protesting youths were said to have sustained various degrees of injuries in the course of the pandemonium, but were said to have been treated in Lambata and discharged same day.

Briefing newsmen shortly after the killing of two in Lambata, the Assistant Inspector General of Police (AIG) in charge of Zone 7, Alhaji Atiku Karfur,  said nobody was killed during the incident. “In fact, the hoodlums had surrounded my car and challenged us. Therefore, my men had to act, leading to the arrest of these hoodlums”.

According to him, no fewer  than 212 persons had been arrested by the police for their alleged involvement in Minna riots, adding that 65 of the hoodlums were arrested on Thursday in Lambatta, while attempting to overrun the police station and in the process, injured a senior police officer.

Karfur said the hoodlums failed in their attempt to attack and sack the station as the police were able to overcome them and arrested those with dangerous weapons, such as locally made pistols and cutlasses. He noted that 86 others were arrested for the attack on government and private buildings in Minna on Wednesday for their roles in the wanton destruction of  properties and for public disturbances.