A demonstration against escalating food costs, initiated on Thursday, reportedly escalated into violence when angry residents seized a trailer carrying food along the Suleja-Kaduna road.
Sources claim the protesters seized control of the rice-loaded trailer, overpowering the driver and pilfering from the truck.
One of the sources said, “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.”
“It took sometime before security operatives got to the scene to start shooting teargas and trying to make an arrest,” the source added.
The state police spokesman, Wasiu Abiodun, confirmed the incident.
Abiodun said the Suleja Area Commander ACP Sani Musa mobilised patrol teams to the scene and dispersed the protesters before the highway was cleared for free flow of traffic.
“There was a protest this morning along Kaduna road, Suleja, and the protest plan was not communicated to the Police, it was later discovered to be hijacked by some miscreants who blocked the highway.
“Area Commander Suleja, ACP Sani Musa mobilised patrol teams to the scene, dispersed the protesters and the highway was cleared for free flow of traffic, however, monitoring continues,” Abidun said.
A surge of discontent over prevailing hardships has swept through the nation in recent weeks, sparking a series of protests that have captured public attention.
The catalyst for this movement originated in Kpakungu, Minna, where women were reported to have taken a prominent role in leading the initial protest. The grievances expressed by the protesters resonated with the broader population, contributing to the widespread nature of the demonstrations.
However, the response from authorities was swift and severe. In the aftermath of the Kpakungu protest, approximately 30 individuals, including the women who played a leading role, found themselves in custody.
The arrests underscored the tense dynamic between those expressing dissent and the government’s stance on quelling such expressions of public discontent.
The unfolding events continue to shape the narrative of a nation grappling with both the challenges that spurred the protests and the repercussions faced by those who dared to raise their voices.
