Security operatives brutalise PWD protester in Bauchi

Security operatives at the Bauchi Government House gate have wrestled with a leader of the Initiative for the Liberalisation of Physically Challenged People on the first day of hunger protests in the state.

In a trending video on social media platforms, security operatives securing the Bauchi Government House were sighted wrestling with one Hamza Waziri, a person living with disability, in his wheelchair.

Following the incident, our correspondent interviewed the victim who stated that he was in the street of the government house alongside other physically challenged persons exercising their constitutional right of peaceful demonstration when they were attacked by the security.

Hamza Waziri explained, “I decided to organise this protest to show my displeasure with the current economic situation of the country.

“In the process, I was doing a live video so one of the police came to me and said that I had filmed him and they were trying to grab the phone from me. And they were hustling me to grab the phone from my hand and that is how they kept brutalizing me. They gave me a couple of punches as you can see from the video.”

Waziri maintained “So basically I was very peaceful. There were not more than ten of us but I was the only one actually standing in front of the Government House just to raise our placards that said ‘Employment should be for all”, “Everybody should be allowed to be employed’, ‘Inclusive Society’.

“So that was what our placards were carrying. So that is what basically transpired between us and the securities.”

Reacting to the development in a press release issued by the Special Adviser on Media and Publicity to the governor of the state, Mukhtar Gidado, read “Bauchi State Governor, Bala Mohammed, has ordered a thorough investigation into the incident involving a person with a disability and security personnel at the government house.

“The incident, which occurred on August 1, 2024, during the #EndBadGovernance protest, was captured in a viral video and has sparked widespread concern.”

Gidado emphasised that the state government has condemned the actions of the security personnel involved and assured the public that the officers will be held accountable if found to have acted improperly.

He added that the government does not condone any form of violence or misconduct by law enforcement officers.

The statement further said, “Governor Bala Mohammed has made it clear that the welfare and rights of all citizens, especially vulnerable groups, remain his top priority.

“He directed a thorough investigation to ascertain the facts surrounding the incident and ensure that justice is served.”

The government urged the public to remain calm and abide by all rules and regulations during and after the demonstration.l saying that the governor remains committed to upholding the principles of justice, fairness, and respect for human rights.

Our correspondent gathered that the incident has sparked outrage among human rights groups and advocates for people with disabilities, who have called for swift action to be taken against the security personnel involved.