•Governor Uba Sani
Kaduna State governor, Senator Uba Sani, today, attributed the #EndBadGovernanceInNigeria protests, which escalated in the state yesterday, to external influences.
The protesters regrouped and marched through the city’s major streets, waving Russian flags, reports The PUNCH.
In response, the state government, through the overseeing Commissioner for Internal Security and Home Affairs, Samuel Aruwan, imposed a 24-hour curfew on the Kaduna and Zaria metropolitan areas yesterday.
While assessing the security situation today, the governor expressed concern for innocent residents affected by the curfew, including those unable to earn a living or visit the market.
Sani attributed the protests to external influences, citing the involvement of children aged 9-14 waving foreign flags.
According to him, this is a deliberate attempt to create anarchy, taking advantage of the psychology of the children and the cultural proximity to neighbouring countries like the Niger Republic.
Sani dismissed the notion that the protests were about bad governance or hunger, suggesting that initial genuine protesters were hijacked by sponsored elements exploiting uneducated and underage children.
“An investigation into the matter is ongoing. The sad aspect of what has happened is that many innocent people are now at home. These are people who are supposed to come out and earn their living. When you see children between the ages of nine and fourteen raising the flag of another country, you will agree with me that it’s a well-designed, sponsored effort by some elements calling for anarchy in their own country.
“They took advantage of the psychology of those children, knowing fully well that here in Northern Nigeria, our people are close to neighbouring countries like Niger Republic, making them believe that what happened in Niger Republic, Burkina Faso, and Mali can happen in Nigeria.
“So, as far as I’m concerned, the protest has nothing to do with bad governance or hunger. Those that came out a few days ago were sponsored by people who exploited the fact that most children are uneducated and underage.
“I want to commend the security forces for managing the situation. If you noticed what happened, some of the children were even climbing the armoured personnel carrier of the police, which shows that the police are very understanding. They acted professionally by allowing the children, to recognise that they were underage. We are investigating the situation.”
He commended the security forces for their professional handling of the situation, allowing underage children to climb on police vehicles without resorting to force.
