The hunger protest spear-headed by some groups under the hashtag #EndBadGovernance crept into most Northern cities like a bad dream. As the protesters began to hit the streets, they did not give anyone the impression that they would hurt a fly. They began by singing different protest songs and chorusing the need for the government to provide good governance and take steps to end ravaging hardship and poverty across the country. This was the case on the first day of the protest Wednesday, August 1, 2024.

But things began to get out of control on the second day of the protests as mayhem almost took over what was meant to be a peaceful protest to draw the attention of the government to the plight of Nigerians.

Kano

In Kano State, for instance, everyone was happy to see the protesters peacefully marching to the Aminu Kano House and presenting several demands to the governor of the state and they were expected to retreat peacefully as they went. But that was not to be because right there at the Government House, some protesters attempted to invade the place but were resisted by security men.

Apparently upset that they were denied access into the Government House by the security men, the rioters went wild. They first made bonfire right in front of the imposing government building and started pelting the security agents with stones and whatever object they could lay their hands on. Faced with such a challenge, the security men fought back, firing gunshots and shooting teargas to disperse the intruders.

But infuriated by this, the protesters decided to visit their anger and frustration on any government facility on sight. The first such facility that came under attack was the Industrial Digital Park, a business hub built by the Nigerian Communications Commission, NCC, at the centre of the ancient city of Kano. It was desecrated and looted bare by the angry mobs. They descended on the multi-million Naira facility with the fury of a hurricane and left it naked like a forlorn grave.

They also ransacked a Kano State High Court premises and carted away vital court documents and exhibits that cannot be reproduced to aid the cases related to those documents.

The Irate mob carted away computers, air condition units, solar panels and batteries, internet facilities, chairs and other vital tools they found at the NCC office while exhibits such as guns, documents, among others, were taken away from the Kano court.

The hoodlums also vandalised the oldest printing press in the Northern region of Nigeria, the Kano Printing Press and other private properties. In many places, the army of protesters looted food items and carted away properties in others, leaving nothing valuable behind. They operated more like locusts and cankerworms, leaving behind a tale of woes for owners of the properties they looted and torched.

Strangely, the demonstrators changed tactics and came out on day four and day five with flags consisting of white, blue and red, which many claim to be that of Russia. The flags emerged shortly after the nationwide televised address by President Bola Tinubu on Sunday, August 4. The angry youths claimed that the address fell short of their expectations as it did not address any of their demands but merely reaffirmed the government’s position for imposing hardship on them.

The protesters made up of mostly youths, concentrated their protest around Bakin Zuwo and Koki in Dala Local Government Area, Sharada in Kano Municipal and Gadon Kaya in Gwale Local Government Area.

They were seen displaying the Russian flag and chanting spontaneously in Hausa: “Koya gyara sai ya sauka”, literally meaning: “Whether he (Tinubu) adjusts or not; he must go”.

One of the leaders of the protests, Umar Ibrahim Koki said: “We are staging the protest because of bad governance related to fuel subsidy removal, poverty, insecurity and hardship, among others.

We listened to the President’s broadcast but his speech failed to address the demands of Nigerians.

“We carried the Russian flag because we saw how Niger with the support of Russia achieved the change of government and so we felt we should seek the support of Russian President, Vladimir Putin to come to our aid”.

On the fifth day, the protest spread to Kano – Zaria road, Zoo Road and Hadejia Road, among others. But the Kano State Government quickly distanced itself from the protesters carrying the Russian flag.

The Spokesperson to Kano State Governor Abba Yusuf, Sanusi Bature, said the government has no link with the protesters displaying Russian flags, saying that genuine protesters had earlier submitted their grievances to Governor Abba Yusuf and that he is working hard towards onward submission to President Bola Tinubu.

The unbecoming behaviour of the protesters promptly forced the government of Kano to slam a 24-hour curfew on the town and later reduced it to 12 hours a day so as to calm down frayed nerves and reduce the level of tension in the town.

As at the time of filing this report, the number of casualties could not be ascertained, but the state government said over 600 hoodlums were arrested and arraigned in court, while about 60 per cent of the looted properties have been recovered.

The police also said It has arrested seven suspects made up of six Spaniards and one Nigerien and a Nigerian tailor who made the Russian flags for sale to the protesters.

Kaduna

Like in Kano, while the demonstration initially began rather innocuously in Kaduna, it later snowballed into a frightening dimension. Trouble broke out at the Government House Kaduna when other protesters, who were mostly children, joined from the Tudun Wada end. There was pandemonium when security operatives tried to block the protesters from occupying or assembling in front of the Sir Kashim Ibrahim House by spraying them with water. That immediately forced the protesters to run in different directions and caused them to sustain some injuries in the process, something that obviously provoked them into anger. They claimed some of them died in the process.

But while retreating, the angry protesters attacked two offices of the Kaduna State Government and gave a hot chase after the policeman they alleged shot at them, and assaulted him. The damage caused was beyond imagination as hoodlums vandalised government properties, attacked another house belonging to a lady and stole motorcycles kept in the KASTLEA premises.

Despite the attacks, the Kaduna government still pleaded with the protesters to be peaceful and declined to take them on for the destruction they caused. The peaceful disposition of the governor notwithstanding, the attackers still went berserk and unleashed more onslaught on whatever they came across.

According to Governor Uba Sani: “We deliberated and told the people that we were not stopping them from embarking on the protest, we were just calling on the people to ensure that the protest was done peacefully. That’s the reason why even when the people came out, we told the security operatives to tread with caution and make sure the protest was done peacefully to devoid of any rancour.

“But unfortunately, during the protest some people bent on fomenting trouble, or thieves, came out and attacked two offices and the house of a lady where they stole. They also tried to fight with the police operatives. What they did, to me, was very unfortunate because when people come out to protest so that things could be rectified, it would not be proper for those who had strived to get things for themselves, to fall victim of vandals.”

However, things became worse after the national broadcast by the President, as the protesters regrouped in their hundreds and walked through the streets, many amongst them hoisting the Russian flag and calling on the military to intervene.

The protest took a turn for the worse as miscreants swooped on the Tudun Wada axis, attacked banks in the area and vandalised government and private properties. As the attacks escalated, the irate youths continued to dare the police operatives; so soldiers were deployed and sanity was restored. The Kaduna State Governor who attributed the hoisting of Russian flags by the protesters to external influences, had to call for a security meeting where it was decided that a 24-hour curfew be imposed on Kaduna and Zaria metropolis.

Justifying the development, Samuel Aruwan who held forte as the Overseeing Commissioner for Home Affairs and Internal Security, said there was sufficient evidence to clearly indicate that the protest was hijacked by criminal elements who resorted to looting of shops and destruction of private and public property.

How the protest affected innocent citizens

In Zaria for example, Ismail Mohammed, a 19-year-old boy, was reportedly shot to death by a soldier, while firing warning shots to disperse the mob, who had taken over the place in the course of the protest. Major General Onyema Nwachukwu, the Director Army Public Relations, said the hoodlums brazenly attempted attacking troops in Samaru, prompting the soldiers to fire a warning shot to scare the hoodlums away, which unfortunately led to the death of the young boy.

“The soldier involved has since been arrested and undergoing interrogation as at the time of this report. Saddened by the unfortunate incident, the Chief of Army Staff Lt Gen Taoreed Abiodun Lagbaja, has sent a high-powered delegation led by the General Officer Commanding 1 Division Maj Gen Lander Saraso to visit and condole with the family of the deceased.

The deceased was buried according to Islamic rites with senior military officers of the Nigerian Army in attendance,” he said. However, the father of late Ismail Mohammed killed in Samaru Zaria on Tuesday, alleged that his son was killed by soldiers who followed his son to their house and shot him.

“My son, about 19 years old, was outside the house when the soldiers started shooting. He ran inside and locked the door but the soldiers followed him and shot through the door.”

I was at Hayin Dogo when Abubakar called to tell me what happened. But it was after an hour that I could be able to reach home after Ismail was killed,” he said.

At the Hayin Danmani community in Kaduna, a stray bullet found its way into the house of a non-protester and injured him. The man is receiving treatment in a medical facility near the Sir Kashim Ibrahim House Kaduna.

Why Protest in Borno, Yobe turned violent

Thousands of protesters against bad government on the first day started peacefully as early as 7am along Bulumkutu road of Maiduguri metropolis, Borno State, with aggrieved people mostly youths expressing their grievances, chanting for justice and end to hunger. It later escalated to some densely populated areas of Gwange, Maduganari and other areas, leading to shooting and teargas by security operatives as youths chanted anti-Tinubu songs.

The rampaging mob promptly blocked the Maiduguri -Damaturu -Kano Road to ensure that the strike had a maximum impact while road users were subjected to long waits and assaults as the protesters took over everywhere. But to forestall the breakdown of law and order, the security agencies deployed some jets and helicopters to monitor the protest from the sky.

Similarly, in Yobe State, the protest started early in the morning in Potiskum, Nguru and Gashua local government areas peacefully.

The protests later went violent when some hoodlums started to loot and destroy public and private properties. They also set ablaze a police vehicle stationed in the frontage of the Borno Police Command Headquarters in Maiduguri.

At the same time, four persons were killed at Kime filling station, Bolori Junction along Baga road of the metropolis, thereby fueling violent protests. The Chairman of the Independent Marketers Association of Nigeria, IPMAN, Borno State branch, Alhaji Mohammed Kuluwu, confirmed the killing of four persons at Kime filling station.

It was against this backdrop that the Borno State Police Command in consultation with other security agencies and the Borno State Government and its Yobe counterpart, imposed 24-hour curfew with immediate effect.

The protesters, including women, expressed their frustration over the current hardship, which they said has affected their ability to feed and provide for their basic needs.

As the protesters moved through the Jalingo metropolis and its environs, they chanted slogans expressing dissatisfaction with the government’s programmes and policies.

The procession was orderly and peaceful, with no incidents of violence. Security operatives were also deployed across the state capital to prevent any breakdown of law and order. The procession concluded at the gate of the Government House, where Taraba State governor, Dr. Agbu Kefas, addressed the protesters. He acknowledged their frustration and assured them that the government was already addressing the root causes of their grievances.

He emphasized that his administration is people-oriented and committed to ensuring that everyone benefits from his leadership. Governor Kefas further announced the creation of an education trust fund to support indigent students in tertiary institutions. He also ordered the release of rice to the protesters, who were then grouped according to their local government areas for distribution. (Vanguard)

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