A protest over rising food prices which started early on Thursday reportedly turned violent after hoodlums allegedly hijacked a trailer load of foodstuff along the Suleja-Kaduna road.
According to eyewitnesses, the protesters took control of the trailer which was loaded with rice and other items after overpowering the driver and began to steal from the truck.
One of the eyewitnesses said: “I saw the miscreants surrounding the trailer and chanting protest songs that it is their food. Before we knew what was happening, the hoodlums had overpowered the driver of the trailer who had to run for dear life and they began to steal from the trailer.”
The witness added that security operatives comprising of soldiers police and civil defence personnel later stormed the scene of the protest and started firing teargas to disperse the protesters.
“It took sometime before security operatives got to the scene to start shooting teargas and trying to make an arrest”, the source added.
The state police spokesman, Deputy Superintendent Wasiu Abiodun, confirmed the incident.
Abiodun said the Suleja Area Commander, Assistant Commissioner Sani Musa mobilised patrol teams to the scene and dispersed the protesters before the highway was cleared for free flow of traffic.
“There was a protest this morning along Kaduna road, Suleja, and the protest plan was not communicated to the Police, it was later discovered to be hijacked by some miscreants who blocked the highway.
“Area Commander Suleja, ACP Sani Musa mobilised patrol teams to the scene, dispersed the protesters and the highway was cleared for free flow of traffic, however, monitoring continues,” Abidun said.
The spokesman could not confirm how many of the hoodlums were arrested at the time of filing this report.
A wave of protest over the hardship in the land has been spreading across the country in the last weeks.
It started with the protest in Kpakungu in Minna in which women were said to have led the protest.
It later led to the arrest of about 30 persons including the women who led the protest.
