A team of police officers from the anti-terrorism squad, headed by the Commissioner of Police, effectively halted a demonstration arranged by the Nigerian Labor Congress (NLC) in Borno State.
They took action to prevent the protest from happening, ensuring the safety and security of the area.
The protest was supposed to start at 8am, but the police prevented it from happening. The NLC chairman and secretary in the state expressed their frustration, saying that the police had initially agreed to let them march for two or three kilometers but didn’t follow through.
Yusuf Inuwa, the NLC chairman, explained to the workers gathered at the secretariat in Maiduguri that the police, including AIG Zone 15 Abdu Umar and Borno CP Mohammed Yusufu, restricted the protest due to security concerns.
According to Inuwa, the police had received intelligence reports about possible troublemakers planning to disrupt the protest.
The NLC decided to protest because they felt the government hadn’t kept its promises made during negotiations on October 2, 2023, following the removal of fuel subsidies.
They were unhappy with the government’s alleged failure to implement agreements reached during those negotiations.
The situation was tense because there were reports about surrendered members of Boko Haram, who were reportedly facing hunger and considering returning to violence, possibly trying to exploit the protest for their own agenda. This made the police and authorities extra cautious in allowing the protest to proceed.
