The nationwide protest against hardship and bad governance took a tragic turn on Thursday in Katsina State as the demonstrators burnt down the All Progressives Party Congress (APC) office in Dutsinma LGA.

APC’s flag was also vandalized at the ruling party’s office while the protesters match past the ruling party’s office in Katsina LGA.

One of the protesters was reportedly killed and a police officer was injured as the demonstrators clashed with the police.

The protest which was initially calm with groups identified by the police was later infiltrated by different other groups carrying sticks and leaves, chanting “Bamuyi Bamuyi.” Among them were many underage and there were no security agents seen around them.

It was also gathered that around the Katsina State Government House, the protest descended into chaos when a group of hoodlums infiltrated the crowd and began attacking security personnel with stones and other objects who preventing them from entry inside the government house.

This reportedly forced the police to deploy tear gas and water cannons to disperse the unruly mob.

Confirming the reports, the spokesperson, Katsina Police Command, ASP Sadiq Abubakar said, it is true that the APC Office in Dutsinma was set on fire. However, he said the command has not received report of any protester in the state that was killed.

Meanwhile, the Coalition of Civil Society Groups, representing over 300 organisations in Katsina State, refused to take to the streets but matched to the government house to dialogue and present their demands to the Katsina Acting Governor, Mallam Faruq Lawal Jobe, for onward delivery to President Tinubu.

“If the coalition says we are organising a protest, considering the number of CSOs at the state and local government level, and we all converge, the number is going to be a very big one and controlling that kind of crowd to prevent the infiltration of miscreants can be something difficult. So, that’s why we are opting for the interaction and at the end, we handed over our letter of demands to the acting Governor for submission to the president,” the coalition chairman, AbdulRahman Abdulah stated.

He attributed the majority of their challenges to the federal government, citing poverty, fuel subsidy removal, and insecurity as examples.

“After analysing the situation, we realised that all these three key issues has to do with the federal government.”

On insecurity, He said, “while the state government is trying to use kinetic measures to address the insecurity plaguing the state, the federal government is opting for non kinetic measures, frustrating the state government efforts.”

On the hardship, he said, “the rising cost of living is a product of the subsidy removal and it’s the federal government that removed the fuel subsidy.”

As for the Katsina State Government, Abdulrahaman disclosed that “the primary issue the coalition is facing with them has to do with ensuring that the intervention received from the federal government reaches the targeted audience.”

The acting governor commended the group for their peaceful conduct and assured them that their demands would be forwarded to the president. He also appealed for calm and urged citizens to refrain from damaging public and private property. (Vanguard)

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