Four persons have reportedly been killed while some sustained injuries on Thursday at the ongoing ‘endbad governance’ protests in Suleja, Niger.
The deceased were said to have been killed by stray bullets while the security operatives were struggling to dislodge a group of protesters who mounted a barricade on a section of the Abuja-Kaduna highway.
NAN reports that some security personnel who were around the barricade could not control the youths that had out-numbered them.
However, a reinforcement team was sent to the scene where pandemonium occurred in Hassan Dallatu and Church roads in the Suleja area.
DSC Abubakar Muti, Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC), in Minna, confirmed that some people lost their lives during the protests in Suleja.
“We have confirmed the death of four persons so far, although an unconfirmed report is saying that the death toll has risen to eight, we will still confirm and get back to you,” he said.
Muti said that trouble started when some youth tried to vandalise public properties in the area during the protests, prompting the security agencies to mobilise to defend the facilities.
According to him, the security agencies came out in their numbers, adding, ”right now ,the security agencies had since restored normalcy in the area.”
He enjoined the public to go about their legitimate businesses in the area and report any suspicious activity to the nearest security agency.