Protest: No Single Casualty In Katagum, Says Chairman As Hails IGP For Concern

By Khalid Idris Doya

People of Katagum Local Government Area in Bauchi state have expressed their gratitude to President Bola Tinubu and in particular the Inspector General of Police, IGP Kayode Egbetokun and state governor Bala Mohammed for identifying with them during this period of organized protest against the perceived bad governance in the country.

The Katagum Local Government Caretaker Chairman, Alh. Musa Ahmad Azare made the commendation while speaking to journalists who were Wednesday in Azare, headquarters of the LGA on a fact-finding mission following the vandalization of public property Monday by perceived hijackers of the ongoing protest against bad governance.

He said, “First and foremost I want to thank the DIG who is here with us, thank the IGP and the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria for identifying with Katagum LGA in this trying times, it is indeed a sad event that happened to us, and this is something we are praying will not occur again”.

Alh. Musa Azare while receiving an team from the Nigeria Police Force, Abuja at the instance of IGP led by the Deputy Inspector General of Police (DIG) in charge of Administration and Finance, DIG Bala Ciroma who come to Bauchi to conduct an on-the-spot assessment in response to the ongoing national protests, said that they were yet to assess the level of destruction, but it was a wanton destruction of public property.

Azare that the police operatives that quelled the protest brigandage acted in the most professional manner one can find anywhere in the World, saying “There is no single casualty here in Azare, nobody, no protester was shot.

Alh. Musa Azare added, “I think there were only two teargases that were fired, even those were at minimal level, and there is no lost of property or injury to any protester here in Azare, the security acted professionally”.

The caretaker chairman then appealed to the people of Katagum LGA to see reasons in what they were doing because, as he puts it, “Whatever they are destroying belong to them, I did not belong to the Governor or Chairman, IGP or Mr. President, it is called public property, it is their property, so they should desist from destroying their own property”.

He commended Governor Bala Mohammed for the logistics support he has been making since the breakdown of Law and order during the EndbadGovernance protest in Azare.

He said, “Since the breakout of this protest, His Excellency has been reaching out to me, getting updates, asking me about the situation, as if he hails from this place, he show much concern of what has happened here”.

Musa Azare added, “Part of the efforts he made is what assisted us in curtailing escalation of the problem. He made frequent calls, he call every 30 minutes to know about the situation. There is no effort bigger than that, and he sent logistics to me, to make sure everything is in order, to mobilize the security who have been working round the clock.”

Also speaking, DIG Bala Chiroma 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.