Gov Bala’s fatherly action de-escalated Azare violent protest – Katagum LG Chairman

By Samuel Luka, Bauchi

The Caretaker Committee Chairman of Katagum Local Government Area of Bauchi state , Honourable Musa Mohammed Azare has disclosed that the swift and fatherly role played by, Governor Bala Mohammed of the state assisted greatly in de-escalating the recent violent protest in Azare town.

The Chairman stated this in Azare when he received the Deputy Inspector General (DIG) of Police, Bala Ciroma on an on-the-spot assessment visit to the local government on Wednesday.

According to him, Governor Bala Mohammed actually demonstrated fatherly role by swiftly bringing normalcy to Katagum when the Nationwide protest turned violent with record of looting and vandalization of public property by rampaging hoodlums.

Musa Azare who expressed gratitude to God that no life was lost in the sad incident, enjoined the youth to eschew any act that is capable of Jeopardizing peace and economic stability of the country.

“The Governor showed so much concerned when the incident occurred, I want to appreciate his quick response which assisted us in curtailing the problem”, he said.

While thanking the DIG for the visit, the Chairman said the curfew was relaxed and people are going about their lawful activities after it was realized that the residents complied very well with the curfew.

On his part, the DIG who described the incident as sad one, said the protest though a constitutional one, protesters are also expected not to engage in violent acts.

“My call to Nigerians, most especially the protesters is to exercise patience. They have the right to protest but they lack the right to burn or destroy Public or government property. People should always reason very well before they act”, DIG Ciroma advised.

He stated that normalcy has returned to Azare town of Katagum local government where 24 hour curfew was imposed by the Bauchi state government following the violent protest.

“However, there is need for us to further fortify the security around this area to avert future occurrence”, he said.

The DIG further disclosed that the on–the-spot visit serves as an avenue to interact with members of the society, adding that his team were able to meet with the stakeholders, enlightened them on the dangers of such violent protest.

He warned the protesters against carrying or waving flag of other countries, pointing out that such action amounts to treasonable felony, as such, they are exposing themselves to prosecution.

“So let us be careful of how we express ourselves in terms of protest, there is a protest and there’s also what we call insurgency, so we have to be careful”, he warned.

The Deputy Inspector General of Police (DIG) who is in charge of Administration and Finance was in Bauchi as part of response to the ongoing endbadGovernance protests.

DIG Ciroma who was accompanied by the Assistant Inspector General (AIG) in charge of Zone 12, Julius Alawari, and the Commissioner of Police, Bauchi State Command, CP Auwal Musa Mohammed visited major deployment locations across the state, including Azare town where a curfew was imposed due to security concerns.