Police beef up security around Kaduna government house

Men of the Kaduna State Police Command have barricaded the road leading to the Government House in the state capital following the #EndbadGovernance protest which turned violent on Thursday.

A combined team of security operatives, including the police, civil defence, and state vigilance service members, mounted a barricade along the Government House road to prevent hoodlums from accessing the area and surrounding communities.

The police authorities have urged parents and guardians to restrain their wards from disturbing public peace during protests, warning them to take such tendencies seriously.

In a statement on Friday, the state police spokesman, Mansir Hassan, advised groups intending to protest to liaise with the Commissioner of Police to ensure a peaceful protest.

Hassan noted that the protest was hijacked by hoodlums who attempted to gain access to the Government House, injured two policemen, and damaged a police armored personnel carrier. 

Meanwhile, as the protest entered the second day on Friday, major roads, including the usually bustling Ahmadu Bello Way in the Central Business District, were still deserted, with reduced vehicular and human traffic.

Many residents still stayed indoors for fear of the unknown while public transportation systems operated at reduced capacity.

Still, many shops and businesses in areas along Junction Road, Ahmadu Bello Way closed their doors as traders stayed away from the market.

Our correspondent who monitored the situation observed that more security operatives had been deployed to strategic flashpoints across the state, especially the city centres such as the Stadium Roundabout, Katsina Road Roundabout as well as the NEPA Roundabout where the protester started peacefully on Thursday before it went violent in the state. 

According Online reports that over 25,000 security personnel comprising police military and others were deployed to strategic locations and flashpoints to maintain order and protect citizens and the protesters who are out to demonstrate against bad governance in the country.