The #EndBadGovernanceinNigeria protest in Kaduna saw a new development on Monday as demonstrators reconvened and torched a security patrol vehicle from the Kaduna State Vigilance Service in Rigasa, within the Igabi Local Government Area.
Additionally, the Zaria office of the Kaduna State Traffic Law Enforcement Agency was set on fire.
ASP Mansir Hassan, the spokesperson for the state police command, verified that vandals targeted and damaged a branch of a new generation bank in Tudun Wada, situated in the Kaduna South Local Government Area, on Monday.
He said, “Hoodlums broke into the bank and carted away some valuables and also destroyed some vehicles parked within the bank premises.”
He, however, debunked rumours that “a police armoured personnel carrier was snatched by the violent protesters at Tudun Wada.”
Hassan said, “The driver of the armoured vehicle succeeded in manoeuvring the crowd of protesters who climbed on top of the vehicle since it was carrying live ammunition and couldn’t have used maximum force against the crowd.
“On the same day, protesters vandalised several government properties, including the office of the Kaduna State Traffic Law Enforcement Agency on Sokoto Road in the heart of the state. Part of the office was burnt, and furniture and other items were stolen.”
Our reporter indicates that this sudden increase has sparked worries regarding the trajectory of the protests and the possible participation of outside forces.
Similarly, the Kaduna State Security Council, headed by Governor Uba Sani, has instituted a 24-hour curfew on the metropolitan areas of Kaduna and Zaria, and their surrounding regions, effective immediately.
This action came after an assessment of the state’s security situation, which showed that the ongoing protests had been taken over by criminal elements involved in looting and vandalizing both private and public property.
In an announcement from Samuel Aruwan, the Acting Commissioner for Internal Security and Home Affairs, residents were encouraged to stay inside as security personnel strive to ensure safety and order.
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He mentioned that the curfew would be adjusted as needed.
The Kaduna State Government appealed to residents to support the security forces and to inform them of any unusual activities.
Meanwhile, after a brief period of calm, the protesters, mainly youths and children, reassembled in the city centre chanting “bama so,” meaning, “we don’t want” in Hausa.
One of the protesters, who preferred to stay anonymous, expressed their frustration over President Bola Tinubu’s omission of fuel subsidies reinstatement in his Sunday speech to the nation.
