Protesters In The North Defy Curfew, Return To Streets As Security Personnel Struggled To Contain Crowd Surge

Protesters have defied government and came out in their numbers despite the 24-hour curfew imposed by the Jigawa State Government, hundreds of youths defiantly continued their protests against hardship for the second day in parts of Dutse, the Jigawa State capital.

A report by LEADERSHIP says that a combined team of security agencies was struggling to contain the protesters around the Zai area of the city, preventing them from flooding into commercial districts and key buildings throughout the state capital.

A resident of Zai Quarters told our correspondent that thousands of youths, chanting various anti-government slogans, resisted the teargas fired at them by security operatives in an attempt to disperse the crowd.

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Meanwhile, in the Shuwarin area on the outskirts of Dutse, thousands of youths regrouped and continued their demonstrations for a second consecutive day.

Protesters attempting to enter the city center were met with heavy security barricades, which employed teargas in a further effort to disperse them.

An eyewitness reported that youths, including underage boys, were arrested by the police on Friday.

In Gumel town, the situation remained relatively calm, as security agents blocked major roads and prevented any regrouping of protesters.

However, the situation turned volatile as there were not enough security personnel to contain the youths for an extended period.

one .person was killed, two was killed in Jigawa, six others were reportedly gunned down by security forces in Niger, while four died in Borno and three in Kaduna.

The protest began peacefully but took a violent turn in some cities leading to violent confrontations between the police and the protesters.

In Abuja, the demonstration claimed a victim, who was shot dead along the Kubwa expressway.

An eyewitness, who identified herself as Ekaete, said the man, whose identity could not be immediately confirmed, was gunned down after the protesters became violent and blocked the highway.’I was waiting for a bus on the expressway when the protesters in their numbers blocked the highway and harassed motorists. But as they became violent, the police fired live shots, killing the young man. Everybody took off on seeing the man fall,’’ she narrated.