Date: 2012-01-24

The nationwide industrial action and protests against the removal of petroleum subsidy by the Federal Government have come and gone, leaving in their wake tales of woe across the country. Kwara State had its share of the problems, resulting in one person being killed and wanton destruction of property. For the five days that the protests lasted in Ilorin, the state capital, hell was let loose on innocent citizens by hoodlums who hijacked the peaceful protests organised by the Nigeria Labour Congress, culminating in the torching of the Mandate House, where the campaign office of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, in the state is located. The building also served as the campaign office of the incumbent governor, Alhaji Abdulfatah Ahmed. Before the building was torched, the hoodlums, in their hundreds, had helped themselves to various items stored inside, including bags of rice, electric generators, mattresses, tyres, pillows, groundnut oil, chairs, bicycles and live rams, among others. Penultimate Tuesday, the state Police Command arrested 14 suspects in connection with the looting and arson of Mandate House while 24 others were arrested for allegedly masterminding the violence and extortion of innocent citizens while the protests lasted. Addressing journalists in Ilorin, the state Commissioner of Police, Peter Yisa Gana, who was represented by the state Police Public Relations Officer, PPRO, ASP Dabo Ezekiel, alleged that three of the suspects – Yusuf Oluwafemi, Ismail Aduagba Kilali and Azeez Kehinde – were caught redhanded stealing items from the Mandate House. He said that useful information gathered from the suspects led to the arrest of 11 others. Items recovered from the suspects included tyres, mattresses, pillows and a bicycle. According to the police boss, 13 were arrested for making bonfire on major roads, harassing motorists and extorting money from them. The remaining 11 suspects, he said, were those who hijacked the protest at the Maraba motor park axis of the town, causing mayhem. Admonishing members of the public to go about their lawful businesses without fear of molestation, Gana said the suspects would soon be charged to court after necessary investigation had been completed. Assuring the general public of adequate security, he urged them to always furnish the police with useful information that could lead to the arrest of miscreants in the society. Among the suspects arrested in connection with looting at the Mandate House was a minor, Azeez Taiye, aged 13. When interviewed by this magazine, he claimed that he went to the place to watch what was going on when he saw a bicycle inside the gutter, which he picked. He confessed that the bicycle he was caught with was the only valuable item that appealed to him.