Residents of communities in Tambuwal Local Government Area of Sokoto State on Friday took to the streets to protest incessant attacks and kidnappings, demanding urgent deployment of security personnel to their communities.
The protesters, who were said to have come from several villages displaced by bandit attacks, blocked the Tambuwal-Jega and Tambuwal-Aleiro roads Friday morning, according to a resident who witnessed the protest.
The resident, who asked not to be named, said the protesters are displaced residents from communities including Margai, Girkau, Romon Liman, Romon Sarki and Masu, and organised it in the early hours of Friday to demand improved security.
He said the protest started in the morning and continued until about 1pm, adding that the protesters were demanding protection after being forced to flee their communities with their families because of repeated attacks. Videos obtained by Daily Trust showed residents expressing anger over the attacks and what they described as lack of government assistance after being displaced from their communities.
In one of the videos, a large number of youths were seen chanting, ‘We want justice’, while some protesters were also seen burning tyres.
The video did not show the APC office being set ablaze, The resident said the protesters later set fire to an APC office.
The resident also insisted that the protesters were not members of opposition political parties.
He said a person was shot during the protest.
A young man identified as Usama Ibrahim, who was shot in the thigh during the protest, alleged that security personnel fired the shot that injured him.
The protest came amid growing concerns over the security situation in parts of Tambuwal and Kebbe LGAs where attacks and abductions have continued to threaten residents and their livelihoods.
The residents said the insecurity had affected farming and other economic activities, with many people forced to leave their communities and seek safety in Tambuwal town.
They called on the Federal and Sokoto State governments to take urgent measures to protect residents and enable those displaced by the attacks to return to their communities.
When contacted, the Sokoto state Police Command’s Public Relations Officer, DSP Ahmad Rufai, said the police deployed personnel to the area and brought the situation under control before the protest ended.