Kaduna State Governor, Senator Uba Sani, said the protests in the country were not about hunger or bad governance, but a sponsored attempt to stoke anarchy and force regime change.
Sani commended the security agencies for their professionalism in handling the violent activities of protesters in Kaduna and Zaria.
Speaking while assessing the security situation in Kaduna, the governor said the police acted professionally in containing the protesters.
He stated, “I want to commend the security for managing the situation, because if you noticed what happened, some of the children are even climbing the Armoured Personnel Carrier (APC) of the police, which showed that the police are very understanding.
“They acted professionally for them to even allow children, because they realised that those children were underage. We are investigating the situation.”
The governor dismissed the notion that the violent protests were about bad governance or hunger. He said the initial genuine protests were hijacked by sponsored elements exploiting uneducated and underage children.
Sani sympathised with innocent residents affected by the 24-hour curfew. He said many of them could not earn a living or go to the market due to the curfew.
He attributed the protests to external influences, citing the involvement of children aged 9-14 waving flags of another country.
He stated that the violent protest was “a deliberate attempt to create anarchy, taking advantage of the psychology of the children and the cultural closeness to neighbouring countries, like Niger Republic”.
According to the governor, “The sad aspect of what has happened is that innocent people are now at home. These are people who are supposed to come out and earn their own living.
“When you see, particularly, children within the ages of nine, 10 and 14 now raising the flag of another country, you will agree with me that it is well designed and sponsored by some elements who are calling for anarchy in their own country.
“They took advantage by using the psychology of those children, knowing full well that here in northern Nigeria, our people are close to our neighbouring countries, like Niger Republic, making them to believe that what happened in Niger Republic can happen in Nigeria; what happened in Burkina-Faso can happen in Nigeria, and what happened in Mali can happen in Nigeria.
“So, as far as I am concerned, the protest has nothing to do with bad governance or hunger or anything. Those that came out a few days ago were sponsored by some people who took advantage of the fact that most of the children are not even educated and, of course, they are under aged.”
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