• Released #Endbadgovernance# protesters unite with families in Kaduna
From Noah Ebije, Kaduna
The joy of the freed #Endbadgovernance# protesters from Kaduna State knew no bounds following their release from detention on the orders of President Bola Tinubu in the wake of the outcry that greeted their detention
Kaduna State accounted for 39 of the protesters detained during the August protest picked from mostly states in Northern Nigeria where the protests raged the most. Out of this figure, Zaria accounted for 29 released persons while Kaduna metropolis featured 10 forgiven offenders
They were received by Governor Uba Sani and hosted to a reception at the Women and Children Centre, Kaduna, where they promised a number of goodies if they turned a new leaf. They were later conveyed tight security to their families.
Commissioner, for Human Service and Social Development, Rabi Salisu, announced a cash donation of N100,000 each while assuring them of the government’s desire to expose them to skill acquisition training and other career development opportunities. They were appointed as honorary ambassadors of peace and urged to go back to their homes and areas of residence to preach peace.
Speaking on behalf of his colleagues, Umar Ahmed, admitted that they made a grave mistake participating in the protest, regretting that those who pushed them to the streets did not push out their children to join in the protest:
“We are now Ambassadors of Peace. When we go back home we will preach peace to our friends and brothers. We will urge them never to participate in protest. We will support the government from now on.”
Secretary to the State Government (SSG), Abdulkadir Meyere, said: “The governor promised that some of them will be given start-up capitals to commence trading, while others will be taught skills and some will be given employment.
“Government will be tracking the activities and conducts of all the 39 of them to ensure that they are of good behaviour before these benefits will be extended to them.
“Government has taken their details, which included their contact addresses, telephone numbers and names of their next of kin for easy tracking and monitoring. They were all medically examined and given psycho-social counselling on the need to change for the better to be useful to themselves and to the society at large.
“Islamic and Christian religious leaders preached to them to embrace the teachings of their faith and to avoid bad company, so as to benefit from God’s blessings here and in the hereafter.” He said the freed detainees were given a telephone each “because they lost their telephones during detention.”
The commissioner told the protesters which, included two minors aged 16 and 17: “We want you to be Ambassadors of Peace and to preach peace within your peer groups, so you won’t be involved in any unlawful protests.
“We want you to go back and have a relaxed atmosphere with your families, and then we can call you back for more training.”
Two of the detained protesters, Isa Abdullahi and Dahiru Hamza, denied being tortured while in the custody of the Department of State Security (DSS). They said they were released about a month ago from the DSS, Kaduna, adding that both of them were entertainers, who played music during the protest in Kaduna and were not among those arrested and taken to court in Abuja.
They claimed they communicated with their families during their time in custody: “We had access to medication and food while being held by the DSS.”