The police on Thursday disrupted a protest organised by civil societies, political groups, and some members of the public over hunger, insecurity, and hardship in Jigawa State.
Hundreds of anti-riot police squads were stationed at various strategic locations around Dutse, the state capital, to block the protest.
The spokesperson of the Jigawa State Police Command, DSP Shiisu Adam, who confirmed the incident said the police only saw the announcement of the protest on social media.
According to him: “intelligence report gathering had proved that some miscreants had planned to hijack the demonstration; we, therefore, took proactive measures.”
One of the organisers, the chairman of SAWABA Initiative for Humanitarian Development, Comrade Bashir Alkasim, said, they were invited for discussion by the police less than 10 hours before the commencement of the protest.
He explained that the state police commissioner requested that they postpone the demonstration due to some issues around public security.
Bashir explained that they wanted to hold a peaceful demonstration to call the attention of federal, state, and local governments to the current hunger crisis, as well as the social and economic difficulties in the country, and to urge the authorities to do the needful to rescue the situation.
