The Niger State Police Command has arrested 17 persons for allegedly planning to protest in the state.
This comes after a ban on public demonstrations by the state government following the wanton violence erupting in various parts of Nigeria.
The Commissioner of Police in the state, Adamu Usman on Tuesday disclosed the arrests in a statement signed by the Command’s Public Relations Officer, Wasiu Abiodun.
Usman said most of those arrested were not from the state.
The suspects “are currently under investigation while they will be charged to court for prosecution after investigation,” the police boss said.
According to him, “the Command is prepared to provide adequate security and peaceful coexistence in the State.”
The commissioner commended youths in the state “for displaying high level of responsibility, calmness, perseverance and restraint in the face of threats and calls from different quarters with deliberate falsehood and misinformation through the social media in the face of unwarranted provocation from other divisive elements, hiding under the umbrella of #EndSARS protest in the country.”
Others praised by the police chief included the state government, traditional institutions, communities and religious leaders, youth leaders and members of the press “for their support and cooperation with the police and other security agencies in the state.”
(C) Control TV 2020.
