Military stops invasion of Suleja market by protesters in Niger

From John Adams Minna

Hundred of protesters who attempted to unleash terror on the Suleja modern market, Suleja Local Government Area of Niger State were yesterday prevented from carrying  out their plans by soldiers stationed in the town.

The protesters had gathered at Suleja Junction, along the ever busy Kaduna-Suleja-Abuja highway, with the intention to  invade  the biggest market in the state, when  security agents, mainly  soldiers, quickly mobilized to the area and dispersed them.

Suleja had remained the epic centre of the ongoing nationwide protest in the state when the day one of the protest turned into violence. Six people were killed and several others  injured on the fateful day. It was gathered that the yesterday protests was informed by the killing of  six protesters which they (protesters) vowed to avenge their death.

Niger State Public Relation Officer(PPRO), SP Wasiu Abiodun said  that no protester was killed during the August 1 protests.

However, the protesters insisted that six people were actually killed while over 15 people were injured during encounter with the police.

Abiodun in the statement, said: “The Niger State Police Command wishes to respond to a report in some online media that six persons lost their lives during the violent protest in Tafa/Suleja area of Niger State which is untrue.

“The Command therefore, re-emphasized as earlier stated that violent miscreants stormed the Tafa LGA Secretariat, looted, vandalized and partly set the building ablaze. Vehicles were damaged and burnt, while security agencies responded, made arrest and dispersed the hoodlums. During this process, there was no loss of life, and there was no report of such as the violent protesters were dispersed with the use of minimum force. However, some miscreants were mildly injured during stampede and most of them were taken to different  medical facilities for treatment”.

However, aside the attempted invasion of the Suleja market, another group of protesters had also attempted to block the Kaduna-Abuja Expressway in Sabon Wuse, the headquarters of Tafa local government area of the state but were prevented by the military. They were quickly dispersed and went into hiding when they sighted the detachment of Soldiers on patrol of the area. Meanwhile the member representing Tafa constituency in the State House of Assembly, Mallam Mohammed Sani Idris, has expressed worries over the influx of miscreants into the town, warning that if the situation was  not checked, Abuja, the Federal Capital Territory would to be affected by the activities of  miscreants.

Mallam Sani pointed out that in recent times, the activities of miscreants in the area have made lives difficult for the residents, adding that it was on record that the #EndBadGovernance protesters began in the area because of the activities of  hoodlums.

The situation, according to him, was because the LGA ,shared boundary with Kagarko in Kaduna state from where  criminals moved into the area to wreak havoc.

He disclosed that there were several high profiles kidnapping incidences in the area  with millions of money  paid as random by relations of the  victims to secure their release, stressing, “that is why we strongly appealed to the government to beam its searchlight on the area.