Concerns as DSS in Sokoto arrests leader of nationwide protest
Story from Ayuba AHMAD
A frontline #EndBadGovernance protester in Sokoto State, Rayyanu Abdullahi, has been arrested by the state Command of the Directorate of State Security, DSS.
Rayyanu Abdullahi, who had led the peaceful, but hugely attended protest in the area on Thursday, August 1st through to Saturday, August 3rd, was taken from Goronyo town, headquarters of the LGA by men of the DSS last Tuesday and since kept in detention at their office in Sokoto, after he was invited to the Goronyo Divisional Police Station.
In Sokoto State, the nationwide protest was first staged at the Goronyo council area on August 1st, before spreading to Yabo and other council areas on subsequent days.
Goronyo is located in Sokoto East Senatorial District of the state, which is the epicentre of banditry that has claimed thousands of lives and displaced hundreds of communities.
About 70% of the settlements in Sokoto East are either sacked or constantly being attacked by bandits, creating thousands of IDPs across the state and in neighbouring Niger Republic.
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Most protesters who publicly spoke in Goronyo focused their grievances on the worsening insecurity in Sokoto East.
This much was explained in a viral video on Facebook by Rayyanu Abdullahi:
“We are not so much concerned about high cost of living but the incessant loss of lives to bandits in our communities
“We’re not a lazy people. All we ask from the government at local, state and federal levels is to be able to cultivate our land, which is made impossible by bandits”.
In the protest video, Abdullahi reminded the Sokoto State Governor, Ahmed Aliyu, of his campaign pledge to deal with insecurity in the state:
“We wish to remind Governor Ahmed Aliyu of his campaign vow, to rid the state of banditry, even if that would take the entire state’s resources to do that”.
During a visit to Goronyo just before the protest on August 1st, to distribute relief materials, the Governor’s entourage, which included the state’s APC leader, Senator Aliyu Magatakarda Wamakko were booed by the residents, who chanted, “we want security!”
The Senator was shouted down by the crowd, who also chorused support for the Senator for Sokoto East, Abubakar Lamido, who they praised for exhibiting concern for the plight of the people of the area.
Rayyanu Abdullahi’s arrest is been questioned because the protests in Goronyo had been peaceful, without any incident of violence to warrant the arrest by the DSS.
Proofreading by Gift Luckson, Editor at Neptune Prime.
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