Protests: Gombe to regulate scrap metal merchants

Gombe State Governor, Muhammadu Inuwa Yahaya, has directed the state’s Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice, Barrister Zubairu Muhammad Umar, to establish operational modalities to regulate the activities of scrap metal merchants in the state. The governor’s directive followed an expanded emergency security meeting convened to review the situation after the #EndBadGovernance protest held last […]

Gombe State Governor, Muhammadu Inuwa Yahaya, has directed the state’s Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice, Barrister Zubairu Muhammad Umar, to establish operational modalities to regulate the activities of scrap metal merchants in the state.

The governor’s directive followed an expanded emergency security meeting convened to review the situation after the #EndBadGovernance protest held last Thursday, which turned violent.

The meeting was attended by heads of security agencies, commissioners, local government chairmen, and traditional rulers.

Addressing newsmen after the meeting, the Secretary to the State Government, Prof. Ibrahim Abubakar Njodi, said the governor’s directive responded to public concerns about the activities of the scrap metal merchants, popularly known as ‘Bola-Jari.’

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He stated that as part of renewed efforts to address the hardships that led to the looting of public and private properties, “the state government plans to roll out another round of food palliatives to support vulnerable households across the state.

“This initiative, the 19th in the series, aims to provide immediate relief and ensure that no resident goes hungry during these trying times,” Prof. Njodi announced.

The Commissioner of Police in the state, Hayatu Usman, said security agencies have made several arrests and recovered numerous valuable items in connection with the looting of public and private properties during the protests.

He urged those who lost property to report to the police headquarters to verify if their items were among those recovered for immediate handover.