Police arrest leader of Minna hardship protest, Aisha Jibrin, 24 others

The Police have confirmed the arrest of 25 people in Minna, Niger State, over Monday’s protest against the rising cost of living in the country.

The protesters had blocked major roads in Minna chanting Hausa slogans while bemoaning the economic hardship and inflationary pressure they are daily grappling with.

The Spokesperson for the Niger State Police Command, Wasiu Abiodun, in a statement on Wednesday, said the alleged initiator of the protests, Aisha Jibrin, and some “miscreants” have been arrested.

“It could be recalled that on 5/2/2024 at about 0700hrs, a large number of women and miscreants mobilised themselves and blocked Minna-Bida road and Kpakungu Roundabout, claiming to be protesting against increase in food prices, causing major obstruction on the highway and deprived motorists, travellers, and other road users from gaining access to attend to their lawful businesses.

“The Command immediately drafted police patrol teams led by the Deputy Commissioner of Police, Operations DCP Shehu Umar Didango, to the scene, and after much persuasion by the police, the protesters deliberately refused to clear the road for public use, while His Excellency, the Deputy Governor of Niger State, Com. Yakubu Garba, equally availed himself at the scene and addressed the group, yet they turned deaf ears and chose to be violent.

“However, the police adopted minimum force to disperse the protesters who turned violent by attacking the police with dangerous weapons such as stones, bottles, sticks, cutlasses, and damaged police patrol vehicles and parts of the Kpakungu Division roof.

“In the course of this, the police arrested the initiators of the protest one Aisha Jibrin 30yrs, Fatima Aliyu 57yrs, Fatima Isyaku 43yrs all of Soje ‘A’ of Kpakungu area of Minna, and twenty-two other miscreants with the following dangerous weapons,” he said.

He said the Commissioner of Police, Shawulu Danmamman, urged members of the public to be law-abiding and should not resort to self-help.