The Kaduna State Police Command on Saturday arrested some protesters, who took to the streets of the sate today over what they described as “genocide”
The Kaduna State Police Command on Saturday arrested some protesters, who took to the streets of the sate today over what they described as “genocide” in the southern Kaduna and the government’s inability to arrest the situation.
The protesters were said to have paralysed activities at the Kaduna Refining and Petrochemical Company, a subsidiary of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation, located in the Chikun Local Government Area of the state.
The protesters comprising youths defied security operatives whose presence was said to have been intentional to intimidate them into aborting their demonstrations. The youths insisted that the federal and state governments must find a lasting solution to the killings in Southern Kaduna.
The protesters clad in dark attires, carried placards with inscriptions such as “Enough is Enough,” “We cannot continue like this,” “Southern Kaduna lives matter,” “Government has failed us,” “Allow us to defend ourselves if you can’t,” “End killings in Southern Kaduna,” among others.
The state PPRO, Mohammed Jalige, claimed that there was no prior notice of the procession by the protesters.
“Some of them were arrested because they did not inform us about the procession.”
Jamal, one of the protesters, wrote on Twitter that the policemen deployed to stop the protest were more than 200.
“Over 200 policemen deploy to stop the southern Kaduna protest. Yeah, I said 200 police officer. Yet these people are being killed every day and the commissioner of police said was we don’t have enough men to fight the killers Yet you have 200 to stop a protest,” he said.
Sabrina Goje wrote: “Truckload of policemen deployed to stop a peaceful protest but they can’t be deployed to fight the killers in southern Kaduna.”
A peaceful protest against the killings in Southern Kaduna was, however, held in Ikeja, Lagos state. The demonstration was conducted under supervision of the police.
