The Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) Katsina State Chapter has announced it will provide free legal services to individuals arrested during the recent End Bad Governance protest in Katsina State. This decision follows a violent crackdown by security forces, which resulted in the deaths of more than three people and numerous injuries.
Among those detained are Kabir Shehu Yandaki, Secretary of the Coalition of Civil Society Organisations in Katsina State, and Habibu Mukthar Ruma, Chairman of the Coalition of Northern Groups. The NBA’s intervention aims to support their legal defense and address the broader legal needs of other detained protesters.
The protests, intended to highlight issues of governance, turned tragic when security operatives clashed with demonstrators. The violence has left many families grappling with loss and mounting medical expenses. Sixteen-year-old Dahiru Kabir, an orphan, was wounded by a gunshot while on a routine errand. “I was on my way to buy chicken feed when I felt a sharp pain in my leg,” he recounted. “I hid until someone found me and took me to the hospital.”
Hamza Abubakar, another victim, faces severe medical costs exceeding 450,000 naira, which his family has struggled to cover. His father, Malam Dahiru, an Islamic cleric, expressed the financial strain and distress his family is enduring.
In Filin Samji quarters, the community mourns the death of 21-year-old Shafi’u, who was allegedly killed by a security operative’s bullet. His father, Malam Mukthar Muhammad, has called for justice, demanding that those responsible for his son’s death be identified and held accountable.
“What we want is justice because of what they did to my son Shafi’u. We will not let this to go. We want justice. Just as everyone is aware of what they did to my son, the authorities have the capacity to fishout who did it and let him face a similar fate for the World to see so that it would serve as a deterrent. Let him be punished based on what he did. That’s the only thing that will softened my heart. They killed my son who was not among the protesters”.
NBA Chairman Barrister Ibrahim Rafukka condemned the actions of the security forces and expressed the association’s commitment to assisting those affected. He revealed that the conduct of security agents has personally impacted him, as one of the victims was his neighbor.
Members of the Coalition of Civil Society Organisations in Katsina, including Aminu Sani and Khadija Saulawa, reported that some protesters, initially law-abiding, were detained and later arraigned before a Chief Magistrate after being held by the Department of State Services and the Nigeria Police.
The protests have not only led to tragic loss and injury but have also imposed significant financial burdens on those requiring medical and legal support.
Awwal Ibrahim
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