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Tag: Hardship

  • Protests: FCT Police Arrest Roughandles NUJ Correspondents’ Chapel Chairman

    Protests: FCT Police Arrest Roughandles NUJ Correspondents’ Chapel Chairman

    …as violence is recorded in parts of the Territory

    Jide Oyekunle, Nigeria Union of Journalists Abuja Correspondents’ Chapel Chairman, was arrested and roughandled by the FCT Police Command while covering the first day of the protest in Nigeria with hashtag #EndBadGovernance on Thursday in Abyss, Nigeria’s capital.

    Speaking on his ordeal, Oyekunle said; “We were coming from the MKO Abiola National Stadium upon getting to the Eagle Square, the Police came after journalists. The FCT Police Commissioner, Benneth Igwe, personally collected my mobile phone. I didn’t commit any crime; I was only covering the protests. I don’t know why Police are trying to suppress Press Freedom while we are carrying out our constitutional duties. This is unfair.”

    As at the time of filing this report, however, Oyekunle had since been released by the police.

    Earlier, at the National Stadium, the protest had witnessed two groups with pro-government individuals carrying placards reading “No Protests” arriving the venue in several white-colored Coaster buses. Even while acknowledging hardship in the country, leader of the group said he was opposed to the protests.

    Elsewhere within the Territory, violence was witnessed at Karu, some 46-minute drive from the city center where protesters set up bonfires on the roads as well as at Mararaba-Keffi Road, boundary between FCT and Nasarawa state
    where security forces fired teargas canisters to disperse rampaging protesters.

    Similarly, pockets of violence were recorded at the Dutse-Kubwa axis with security agencies dispersing protesters for barricading the Airport- Gwagwalada highway. On a sad note, unconfirmed reports say some violent protesters were shot dead at Suleja, some 52 kilometres from Abuja.

    Reacting to the violence recorded in parts of the Territory, the Force PRO, Olumuyiwa Adejobi, in an interview with a television station monitored in Abuja said those who went to the Eagle Square should not be regarded as protesters. His words; “There’s difference between protesters and violent-trigger people… We were not expected to have protesters at the Eagle Square in the first instance…Those that assembled at the Eagle Square were there for ulterior motives…For people to block highways, I don’t think the organizers and those who have come out genuinely to protest would do that kind of a thing. So these people are those who we said we have gathered intelligence that they would likely hijack the protest.”

    Meanwhile, a situation room report by the International Press Council (IPC) has condemned the reported attacks on journalists covering the opening day of the nation-wide protest. The organization described the ordeals of Messrs Yakubu Mohammed of the Premium Times, Jide Oyekunle of Daily Independent and Mary Adeboye of News Central Television in Abuja as unfortunate.

  • Hardship worsen in Kaduna over demolition fear as Fast-foods, Drinking joints others shutdown

    Hardship worsen in Kaduna over demolition fear as Fast-foods, Drinking joints others shutdown

    ..Markets demolition engender protests
    ..Task force invasion prevails

    By Gabriel Udeh, Kaduna

    The hardship under the second wave of COVID-19 pandemic has grew worse in most parts of the States in the country.

    Kaduna State situation worsened after demolition of alleged sex party building, as

    most notable fast foods and drinking centres and joints that provides service jobs for young people within the metropolis have vertically dried up.

    Most of them have completely shutdown for lacks of patronage and fear of losing their business and business premises to demolition.

    Our correspondent who went round the metropolis reported that the popular Mr Big, Rites, Rich Bites, Food planets, Delicious and many others fast food companies, exempted from partial lockdown, are also seriously affected.

    While the owners declined comments with journalists, our correspondent uncovered that even alcoholic based- joints such as beer parlour and drinking joints located within kaduna metropolis and environs were the worst hit as most, if not all, have had their premises shutdown some weeks ago for fear of been demolished.

    Kaduna officials claiming to be members of taskforce have  continue to invades some drinking centres, clamping down on owners, and in some cases beating up customers in enforcing compliance.

    Owners of the affected joints which includes mainly Future View, Halima junction, Mummy’s Villa, refinery junctions among others joints in Romi, Television and Sabon Tasha area of kaduna South, have respectively decried high handedness of the state taskforce. 

    A widow Mrs. Faith Odeh operating restaurant has had her temporary canopy forcefully unfolded based on directive by some agent of government officials.

    While victims and the business owners are counting their loses, they lamented the undue advantage of the situation also by some Police officers including DPOs who sneaked into some of the drinking joints and in the night and left freely without paying a dying after taken some bottles, a operating manager revealed.

    In addition, beer consumers are also complaining of the steady rise in price of the alcoholic beer product, apparently due to partial restrictions placed on its sales and distribution. 

    Already beers are currently being imported into the State from outside Kaduna, because of the warning by the state machinery to beer companies , according to insider sources and some dealers who spoke to our reporter in confidence.

    Efforts made to verify from officials of Nigerian brewery Plc failed due to bottleneck, an insider however confided that brewery ran short of the products on or before Christmas due to high demand for beer, which led to its scarcity. 

    The question being asked however is whether alcoholic based sanitizer prescribed for COVID-19 prevention, is a ploy, and does not applied to alcoholic drinks such as the beer and related products. 

    Recalled that a one-storey building was demolished over alleged sex party under the current partial lockdown and most markets places in Kaduna metropolis demolished without settling those legally owned shops owners, 

    And no alternative places provided, which recently engendered protest in Kaduna State, in the volatile area of Rigasa Community.