By Uzair Adam
The Kano State Commissioner of Police, Salman-Dogo Garba, stated that no deaths occurred during the #EndBadGovernance protest in Kano State, despite reports suggesting otherwise.
At a press conference where suspects were paraded on Monday, Garba said, “Going by the records, so far, we are not aware of any casualties recorded.”
This claim contrasts with several media reports that assert at least five individuals were killed when hoodlums allegedly hijacked the protests.
Garba disclosed that the police arrested 873 suspects and successfully prosecuted 600 individuals for various offences, including “criminal conspiracy, inciting disturbance, riot, theft, mischief, and arson.”
Additionally, 150 people were arrested for violating the curfew imposed by the Kano State Government, and six suspects are under investigation for the destruction and looting of the Kano Printing Press.
The Commissioner of Police also revealed that 76 suspects, including a foreigner, were arrested for flying Russian flags and are being investigated for sedition at Force Headquarters in Abuja.
Other arrests include 41 suspects linked to major crimes like “armed robbery, kidnapping, and car theft,” and the police successfully recovered “two AK-47 Exhibit Rifles and other substantial properties looted by the hoodlums at Audu Baku Secretariat NCC Office, High Court Complexes, Kano Printing Press (KPP), Super Markets.”
The command also rescued 13 trafficking victims and recovered various items, including “two AK-47 Rifles and one Beretta Pistol, 47 live ammunition, eight motor vehicles, and four sacks containing Exol Tablets.”
Additional items recovered include “two Bajaj Boxer Motorcycles, 22 cows, 15 sheep, and four donkeys.”
He added that despite the challenges posed by the protests, Garba reiterated that the Kano State Police Command remains “committed to maintaining law and order, preventing crime, and protecting the rights of citizens to peaceful protest.”