Policemen and operatives of the Department of State Services (DSS) on Wednesday arrested some youths calling for more government action against banditry in northern Nigeria.
More than 3, 000 were killed and 2, 703 abducted in the north in the last 11 months, PUNCH reports.
In Abuja, policemen from the Federal Capital Territory Command disrupted such protest, arresting seven persons including two journalists. The two journalists were later released.
The protesters had converged at the Nigerian Labour House popularly known as Ayuba Wabba House, Central Area, demanding an end to the insecurity in the north.
The protesters carried placards that read, “Buhari is a weak Army General”, “Northern region is bleeding”, “Buhari is sleeping; “How many have to die in the north before Buhari is asked to resign?”
One of the journalists, Busayo Tosin, who was released, said, “Some police officers approached me to ask those who were protesting. I told them I am a journalist. I came here to work, and they arrested about five protesters. They walked up to me and asked me to get into their vehicle, I did. They checked my camera to see what I had recorded.
“I was then driven to the Gudu police station and we were being questioned. We were about to write a statement when we were later informed that we would be transferred to the command. We were later released after the intervention of a DCP.’’
When contacted, the FCT Command spokesperson Josephine Adeh told the newspaper that policemen were deployed to restore normalcy following information that there was a “civil disturbance” in the area.
In Kano State, security officials, consisting of policemen and the DSS operatives, barricaded the gate of the Nigeria Union of Journalists to stop youths protesting against insecurity in the north from entering the premises.
Several security vehicles with personnel dressed in anti-riot outfits took over the NUJ Secretariat main gate and the road leading to the secretariat as the protesters assembled at a distance.
A petition seeking a state of emergency in Sokoto, Zamfara, Katsina and other states in the North-West had garnered 28,000 signatures on Change.Org on Wednesday evening.
The petition, which was started by one Alhanislam Alhanislam on Monday, called on President Muhammadu Buhari to secure northern lives with #NorthisBleeding.
