Members of the Kaduna Non Indigenes Forum, particularly the Igbo traders, claim that they made the decision to back out of the protest due to prior experiences in which market stalls and business areas were typically the focus of large-scale looting of food items, electronics, and valuables whenever there was a protest action or crisis situation in the State.
Non-natives of Kaduna State have expressed concern about the effects of the upcoming statewide demonstration against the nation’s skyrocketing cost of living and economic hardship, claiming that thieves would steal from their stores, markets, and commercial buildings all around the state.
Members of the Kaduna Non Indigenes Forum, particularly the Igbo traders, claim that they made the decision to back out of the protest due to prior experiences in which market stalls and business areas were typically the focus of large-scale looting of food items, electronics, and valuables whenever there was a protest action or crisis situation in the State.
The Kaduna Non-Indegenes Forum in a statement jointly signed by the Chairman, Chief Emeke Emmanuel Okafor and Secretary, Mr Adewale Peter Adelanwa urged the citizens to shun the directive to embark on the planned protest, considering the fact that the Police Command in State recently banned all forms of unlawful protests. “It is our hope that citizens in the State will remain law abiding in this regard,” they added.
While expressing concerns over the possibility of violence, citing past instances where similar protests in the State had degenerated into escalated crisis, the Forum called on state government to deploy armed security operatives to red zones or identified flash points to secure lives and properties.
It described Kaduna as a volatile State with non-indegenes most hit and suffering huge loss of lives and property during any crisis period over the years, adding that they can’t afford to lose anyone and valuables.
“It is our desire that considering the past crisis experiences and strong possibilities of hoodlums hijacking the peaceful process, we strongly advise against any form of protest in Kaduna for now .We want to categorically state that we are part of the people facing the economic hardship, but we cannot afford to lose our hard earned investments and properties at this critical period, when Nigerians currently are battling one of the country’s worst inflation and economic crisis sparked by the government’s twin policies of petrol subsidy removal and unification of forex windows.”
“There was a report where the United Nations (UN) department of safety and security warned that the planned protests in Nigeria may be hijacked by groups with ulterior motives,hence our decision to appeal to citizens against joining the protest action.”
“There is no how the “10 days of rage,” starting from August I to 10 will address the country’s soaring cost of living and economic hardship,instead it will cause more hardship,” the kaduna Non indigenes Forum added.