The Borno State Police Command has claimed that it successfully prevented widespread looting and vandalism during the August 1 #EndBadGovernance protest in Maiduguri, which led to the deaths of four people and injuries to 34 others.
However, a grieving mother, Hadjia Halima Ali, has accused the police of recklessly shooting her son, Habilu Ali, who is now recovering at the state specialist hospital alongside other victims receiving free medical care.
The Command’s Public Relations Officer, ASP Nahum Daso, shared details with Arewa PUNCH on Thursday in Maiduguri, explaining how the police intervened to stop hoodlums from looting private businesses and properties. According to Daso, the police acted to prevent the destruction of public facilities, although several properties belonging to the state government were still damaged.
“The properties destroyed included the Crossover Bridge on Bulumkutu Road, flower vessels from Malakachala Roundabout to Airport Roundabout, streetlights on Lagos Street, and interlocks from Gwange to UMTH Junction,” Daso said.
He added that hoodlums destroyed four vehicles belonging to BOTMA in Mechanical Quarters, ransacked the office, and looted the office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR).
“They also attempted to break into warehouses, but the proactive measures of the police stopped them,” Daso noted.
Daso described how private vehicles and tricycles owned by non-protesters were nearly destroyed, but the police’s presence prevented further damage.
“As of now, we haven’t heard of any private store or shop being completely ransacked. Although there were attempts, the proactive measures of the police on the ground stopped such attacks,” he stated.
Mohamed Abba, a resident of Maiduguri, echoed the police’s account, expressing relief that his shop in the Bulumkutu area was spared from looting.
“It was Allah and the effort of the police that helped me. If the looting had reached my area, I would have been financially ruined,” Abba told Arewa PUNCH. “I have a kiosk here in Bulumkutu. All thanks to Allah and the Nigeria Police.”
Despite the police’s positive assessment of their efforts, Halima Ali, the mother of Habilu Ali, had a different perspective. She told Arewa PUNCH that her son was shot by the police during the protest, contradicting the state Commissioner of Police, Yusuf Lawal, who attributed the shootings to Boko Haram elements.
Habilu Ali is among those receiving free medical treatment, and the victims have been provided with N30,000 each by the state government during a visit by Governor Babagana Umara Zulum.