By Sule Aliyu, Bauçhi
The Bauçhi State Police Command says it has successfully apprehended 60 miscreants for various offences while staging the protest
Bauchi State Police Commissioner, Auwal Musa Muhammad, confirmed arrest while giving an update on the protest in the state.
He also confirmed that one of the command personnel was injured when the protest against bad governance turned violent on the first day of the plan 10-day nationwide protest.
“In disguise of peaceful protest by the youths mostly young persons, the protest started at the early hours of Thursday under a very close security watch until around 03:00 pm when degenerated into violence and unruly”.
Auwal Musa said that the arrests were made due to breaches of public order and unlawful assembly by the protesters, who did not get police permission before embarking on the exercise.
The Commissioner added that more than 50 protesters, including women, have been arrested by the Bauchi State Police Command following the ‘End Bad Governance Protest’ in the state capital.
The Commissioner of Police said that “fifty-two of them among the protesters were arrested; they were arrested for being violent and very unruly. They tried to disturb public peace, not based on our arrangement with them.”
He also stated that one of his police officers was injured, stressing that the protesters became unruly, engaging in phone theft and property destruction throughout the metropolis.
According to him, the protesters, who were over 3,000 regrouped after they were dispersed and tried to force their way to the government house.
According to him, “They were stoning our policemen. They have injured some of our policemen, so we had to act fast. The governor would have addressed them if they were not unruly.”
The CP said, “We acted professionally, and we did not kill anybody. The protesters used women and children as shields, but we were able to overcome and subdue them.”
He assured that the command will do everything possible to ensure that there is no breakdown of law and order when the protest lasts, appealing for the people to behave themselves in an orderly manner.