Hardship: Fresh Protest Erupts In Niger After Arrest Of 25 People

Residents of Suleja in Niger State have taken to the street to register their displeasure over the high cost of living in the country.

Wednesday’s protest is coming after a similar protest in Minna, the state capital just two days ago.

Suleja, the commercial nerve centre of Niger State, is only a few kilometres away from the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja.

An eyewitness, Mr. Yazid Abubakar, who spoke to Channels Television by telephone, said the protesters stormed the popular Moroko Road where the biggest market is located in the town.

The protesters carried placards with various inscriptions such as “Leadership is all about improving the life of the masses,” and “Nigerians are suffering, stop the hardship now,” among others.

Some women and youths in their numbers took to the street and blocked the Kpagungu axis of Minna-Bida Road in the Niger State capital city on Monday, protesting against hunger and the high cost of living.

The women, carrying a placard with the inscription “No food, we are dying of hunger”, demanded a better condition of living and a reduction in the cost of living for the citizenry.

They accused political officeholders of insensitivity to their plight as they lamented their inability to feed even once a day.

The protest had caused traffic gridlock on the ever-busy Minna-Bida Road, which is a link road to the South-West part of the country from the North-Central.

Responding, Niger State Police Command clamped down on 25 protesters.

On Wednesday, Police Public Relations Officer, Wasiu Abiodun, confirmed the arrest of one Aisha Jibrin, the initiator of the protest, and 24 other suspects.

The earlier protest forced President Bola Tinubu to order a food intervention to check the shortage of food in the country.