The police in Niger state have arrested the initiator of the hunger-protest in Minna on Monday Aisha Jibrin and 24 others.
The Police Public Relations Officer of the state command, DSP Wasiu Abiodun, stated this in a statement issued in Minna on Wednesday.
He said, “In the course of this, the Police arrested the initiator 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”.
During interrogation, the said Aisha claimed that she was not aware that her action was illegal by mobilising over one hundred women and miscreants to block the highway for a violent protest.
She claimed further that she informed one youth leader Hassan in the area, who promised to inform the Police of their plan to protest, but did not do so.
He said that the suspects were taken to SCID Minna for investigation and they will be charged to court for prosecution, adding that effort is ongoing to arrest other identified members of the protest.
DSP Abiodun said the protest turned violent by attacking the Police with dangerous weapons such as stones, bottles, sticks, cutlasses during which they damaged Police patrol vehicles and parts of the Kpakungu Division Police Station.
He recalled that on 5/2/2024 at about 0700hrs, a large number of women and miscreants mobilized themselves and blocked Minna-Bida road and Kpakungu Roundabout claiming to be protesting against increase in foodstuff prices, causing major obstruction on the highway and deprived motorists, travellers and other road users from gaining access to attend to their lawful businesses.
