A protest over escalating food prices, which commenced early on Thursday, reportedly took a violent turn as hoodlums allegedly seized control of a trailer loaded with foodstuff along the Suleja-Kaduna road. Eyewitnesses recounted that the protesters overpowered the driver of the trailer, which was loaded with rice and other items, and proceeded to loot its contents.
Describing the scene, one witness stated, “I saw the miscreants surrounding the trailer and chanting protest songs that it is their food. Before we knew what was happening, the hoodlums had overpowered the driver of the trailer, who had to run for dear life, and they began to steal from the trailer.”
Security personnel, including soldiers, police, and civil defense personnel, later arrived at the protest site and reportedly used teargas to disperse the demonstrators. The witness noted, “It took some time before security operatives got to the scene to start shooting teargas and trying to make an arrest.”
The state police spokesman, Wasiu Abiodun, confirmed the incident and explained that the Suleja Area Commander, ACP Sani Musa, mobilized patrol teams to the scene to disperse the protesters and clear the highway for traffic flow. Abiodun mentioned that the protest plan was not communicated to the police and was later discovered to be hijacked by miscreants who blocked the highway.
Although the spokesman could not confirm the number of arrests made, he assured that monitoring of the situation continued. This incident adds to a wave of protests across the country in recent weeks, sparked by the economic hardships faced by citizens. The protests began in Kpakungu in Minna, with women reportedly leading the demonstrations, resulting in the arrest of about 30 individuals, including the women who spearheaded the protest.
