Jigawa Youths Determined To Protest Bad Governance, Defy Imposed 24-Hour Curfew

Jigawa State protesters defiled the Government’s 24-hour curfew as hundreds of youths persisted in their demonstrations against hardship for a second day in parts of Dutse, the state’s capital, on Friday.

Security forces were engaged in clashes with protesters in the Zai area of the city, preventing them from reaching commercial zones and other key parts of the capital, including major buildings and stores.

According to the Leadership report, a resident of Zai Quarters stated that thousands of youths, chanting various anti-government slogans, resisted the security forces’ attempts to disperse them with teargas.

Meanwhile, thousands of youths regrouped in Shuwarin, a suburb of Dutse, and continued their protests for the second day.

Protesters attempting to enter the city centre were blocked by heavy security barricades, with officers deploying teargas to disperse the crowds.

An eyewitness said police arrested several youths, including some underage boys, on Friday.

In Gumel town, the situation remained relatively calm as security forces blocked major roads to prevent protesters from regrouping. However, the situation escalated as the number of security personnel proved insufficient to manage the crowd for an extended period.

Recall that Governor Umar Namadi, earlier, in a state broadcast on Friday, declared a 24-hour curfew following the August 1 nationwide protests.

Namadi justified the curfew, stating that Jigawa is a Muslim-populated state where protests are deemed un-Islamic, as only Allah can cause or relieve hardship.

He said:

“Today, we woke up to a severe protest. That is not part of our culture and tradition. We feel that this protest will not solve what people demand and ask for.

“We are all Muslims, and we believe nobody in this world can put hardship on us except Allah, and it is only Allah that rescues us from hardship.

“Therefore, protest is not a solution and should not be a solution. We realised how people use small boys to achieve their objective of vandalising and stealing people’s property. This is not part of our culture and tradition.

“Therefore, we feel that, as a government, we will not allow this thing to continue unabated, and as a result of that, we are introducing a 24-hour curfew in Jigawa State. From now on, This curfew will continue until we have reviewed the situation with the security agencies, and we feel like it is time to relax,” he added.

Despite this talk, the protesters showed defiance, highlighting their determination for change.

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