The nationwide protest against hardship and bad governance turned tragic on Thursday in Katsina State. Demonstrators set the All Progressives Congress (APC) office in Dutsinma LGA on fire and vandalized the APC flag at the ruling party’s office in Katsina LGA.
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During the clashes between protesters and police, one protester was reportedly killed, and a police officer was injured.
Initially calm, the protest was infiltrated by groups carrying sticks and leaves, chanting “Bamuyi Bamuyi,” with many underage participants seen without any security presence around them.
Near the Katsina State Government House, the situation descended into chaos when hoodlums infiltrated the crowd and began attacking security personnel with stones and other objects, preventing them from entering the government house.
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Police resorted to using tear gas and water cannons to disperse the unruly mob.
ASP Sadiq Abubakar, the spokesperson for the Katsina Police Command, confirmed that the APC office in Dutsinma was set on fire.
However, he stated that the command had not received any reports of a protester being killed in the state.
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Meanwhile, the Coalition of Civil Society Groups, representing over 300 organizations in Katsina State, chose to march to the government house instead of taking to the streets.
They aimed to dialogue and present their demands to the Katsina Acting Governor, Mallam Faruq Lawal Jobe, for onward delivery to President Tinubu.
“If the coalitions say we are organizing a protest, considering the number of CSOs at the state and local government level, and we all converge, the number is going to be very big, and controlling that kind of crowd to prevent the infiltration of miscreants can be difficult. So, that’s why we opted for interaction, and in the end, we handed over our letter of demands to the acting governor for submission to the president,” stated AbdulRahman Abdulah, the coalition chairman.
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He attributed most of their challenges to the federal government, citing poverty, fuel subsidy removal, and insecurity.
“After analyzing the situation, we realized that all these three key issues have 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’s efforts.”
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Regarding 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, Abdulrahman 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.
