Protesters loot truckloads of foodstuff in Niger

Protesters loot truckloads of foodstuff in Niger

•As Tinubu’s supporters urge him to go beyond promises

Yesterday in Niger State, some irate youths hijacked trailers loaded with foodstuff in Suleja Area, prompting security agencies to disperse them with the use of force.

It started like the usual protest when the youths held up many trailers traveling on the Abuja to Kaduna axis.

It was learnt that the youths burnt tyres on the road and started pilfering bags of foodstuff, and grains like rice and beans before the security operatives intervened by firing into the air to disperse them.

A resident of the area along Kaduna Road who preferred anonymity said the youths had already carried off several bags of grains before the intervention by security.

Sources hinted that the commercial motorcycle operators had planned a protest against extortion by some revenue collectors and the youth used the opportunity to hijack goods from the trailers.

The Niger State Police Command’s Public Relations Officer, DSP Wasiu Abiodun confirmed that “there was a protest this morning along Kaduna Road, Suleja and the protest plan was not communicated to the Police, it was later discovered to be hijacked by some miscreants who blocked the highway”. 

“Area Commander Suleja, ACP Sani Musa mobilised patrol teams to the scene, dispersed the protesters and the highway was cleared for free flow of traffic, however, monitoring continues,” he added.

Go Beyond Promises, Tinubu’s Supporters Tell Him

Concerned supporters of President Bola Tinubu, under the auspices of North-South Progressives Alliance (NOSPA), have told him that the citizens want action from him rather than promises at this critical stage of economic hardship.

NOSPA, in an open letter to Tinubu entitled: “We Need More Than Promises. The Time For Action Is Now” said the group finds it extremely difficult to defend his policies because they are not yielding the results I envisaged and campaigned to convince Nigerians to give him their mandate.

In the letter signed by NOSPA convener, Alwan Hassan and the six zonal coordinators, the group said millions of Nigerians have not only become poorer in recent times, but they are also dealing with unprecedented hunger and rising insecurity across various communities amidst a growing sense of national discord.

“Food, which is the most basic need of man, has become a luxury above the means of ordinary Nigerians, simply because their prices have skyrocketed. The amount you get an item in the market this hour is not the amount you will get it the next hour.

“From garri to rice, noodles to eggs and everyday staples, Nigerians are forced to make painful choices of what and when to consume them because their prices are not within reach. Simply put, prices are going up, but the purchasing power keeps reducing,” the letter reads in part.

It also urged the president to revisit some plans of the past governments such as the Economic Recovery and Growth Plan (ERGP) of the Buhari administration with a view to implementing what worked in those plans. It insisted that the suspension of the implementation of the National Social Investment Programmes must be immediately lifted while a decision is taken on the suspension of the minister supervising the programme.