Police officials in Zamfara have cautioned residents against participating in the upcoming nationwide youth protest scheduled for August 1st, aimed at the Federal Government.
Commissioner of Police Mohammed Dalijan issued this warning during a meeting with religious leaders, organized labor unions, student groups, and other stakeholders on Tuesday.
He said bandits, Boko Haram insurgents and other criminal groups will join in the protest which will do the country more harm than good
“If there is crisis, you are likely to be affected in it more than anybody, you are the one that have something at stake that you can lose when there is crisis,” the CP said.
“Most of the people that are calling for the protest are criminals, bandits, illegal miners, armed robbers and unemployed youths who want to seize the opportunity to break people’s shops and carry their properties, if we join this protest in Zamfara, we are worsening the situation.”
The Federal Government, according to the police authorities, is not responsible for the hunger many are passing through but banditry activities which prevent farmers from accessing their farmlands.
“The issue of hunger in this country is not caused by government, last year bandits all over northern Nigeria refused to allow 85% of farmers to access their farms, so tell me how food will be available when farmers did not go to produce it.
“This year, the same 87% of the farmers are now back to their farms, bandits in so many places have repented, some of them have been killed, some of them are looking for ways to surrender, so there is serious improvement in the security system towards achieving absolute peace in the society,” he stated.
However, the position of the police on the protest did not go down well with the organised labour and other stakeholders at the meeting.
They want the Federal Government to rise to its responsibility, and make life affordable for the common man as that alone is the reason for the protest.
“For you to categorise all the people that are calling for protest as bandits, as criminals, it is not so because I have seen them, I know some of them because they were in labour and we tell them it is not an issue that has to do with labour,” said Comrade Sani Haliru, the NLC Chairman in Zamfara State.
“As you are saying 87% of farmers have gone back to the farm, sir they gave you wrong information and everybody here when you said it, they looked at you, but you know the truth is bitter. Honestly speaking, they gave you the wrong information, because I am a farmer and I have a farm that I can access now, if I have three and I can farm in two, I will say yes it is 80%.”
Speaking with Channels Television, representatives of the students and youth at the meeting narrated the ordeal of the Nigerian students across various institutions in Zamfara.
“Increment in school fees. The state government said they are not increasing the school fees but why are the institutions increasing the school fees without intervention of the government? it is more than 70 per cent. Those who were paying N36,000 before are now paying eighty-something thousand naira now. Some of us paying forty-something thousand before are now paying N120,000 now,” Nurudeen Mustapha said.