KADUNA (Sundiata Post) – Ahead of the planned nationwide protest against the soaring cost of living and economic hardship in the country, the Kaduna State Non-Indigenes Forum has raised the alarm over the possibility of hoodlums hiding under the guise of protest to loot shops, markets, and business premises across the state.
According to the group, the non-indigenes, especially Igbo traders, decided to withdraw from the protest because of past experiences. These experiences have shown that, whenever there is any protest action or crisis situation in the state, the targets are usually market stalls and business areas, with extensive looting of food items, electronics, and valuables.
The Kaduna Non-Indigenes Forum, in a statement jointly signed by the Chairman, Chief Emeke Emmanuel Okafor, and Secretary, Mr Adewale Peter Adelanwa, urged citizens to shun the directive to embark on the planned protest. They cited the recent ban on all forms of unlawful protests by the state Police Command, stressing that, “It is our hope that citizens in the state will remain law-abiding in this regard.”
While expressing concerns about the possibility of violence and citing past instances where similar protests in the state had escalated into crises, the forum called on the state government to deploy security operatives to red zones and identified flashpoints to secure lives and property.
The forum described Kaduna as a volatile state, with non-indigenes most hit and suffering huge losses of life and property during any crisis period over the years.
The statement reads: “It is our desire that, considering the past crisis experiences and strong possibilities of hoodlums hijacking the peaceful process, we strongly advise against any form of protest in Kaduna for now.
“We want to categorically state that we are among the people facing economic hardship, but we cannot afford to lose our hard-earned investments and property at this critical period, when Nigerians are currently battling one of the country’s worst inflation and economic crises, sparked by the government’s twin policies of petrol subsidy removal and unification of forex windows.
“There was a report where the United Nations (UN) Department of Safety and Security warned that the planned protests in Nigeria may be hijacked by groups with ulterior motives, hence our decision to appeal to citizens against joining the protest action.
“There is no way the ’10 days of rage,’ starting from August 1 to 10, will address the country’s soaring cost of living and economic hardship; instead, it will cause more hardship.”
