Protesters in large numbers blocked the Girei section of the Yola-Mubi road on Tuesday in protest of alleged release of some self-confessed kidnappers.
Girei which is the headquarters of Girei Local Government Area lies close to the state capital, Yola, and has recently been troubled by kidnappers who have abducted many people, including three professors from the Modibbo Adama University of Technology (MAUTECH) located in the town, in the last four months.
The leader of the Tuesday morning protesters, Alhaji Saidu Hamman, alleged that they had been risking their lives assisting the police in apprehending the kidnappers only for the police to be releasing the suspects without prosecuting them.
Motorists were stranded for hours, especially around Tasham Maiturare, the epicentre of the protest in the university town.
“AIG intervene, no to release of Kidnap suspects. We support and arrest kidnappers, police release them with impunity,” the protesters chanted.
Their leader said the protest followed an emergency meeting by community leaders to decide ways of addressing insecurity in the area.
He added that the meeting itself followed a particular incident, explaining, “We arrested 11 suspected kidnappers and handed them to the police while investigation was ongoing, they were released without being charged to court.
“The peaceful protest is to channel our plight to Governor Ahmadu Fintiri and all security chiefs in the state to do something different.”
Reacting to the allegations, the state Police image-maker, DSP Suleiman Nguroje, said the state Assistant Commissioner of Police had been deployed to address the matter.
He added that eight suspected kidnappers were arrested and charged to court and that four other suspects had been transferred to the Force Intelligence Bureau (FIB) for further investigation while others were arraigned before a Magistrate’s court in the state.
“The public should not act upon insinuation but verify facts before organizing a protest. Blocking major roads and denying people usual transit is an offence,” he said.
