Niger Governor Under Attack For Ordering Security Aides To Slap Cleric

The Governor of Niger State, Mohammed Bago, has come under heavy attack, following his order to his security aides to slap one of the Islamic clerics at a gathering.

According to Punch, Bago, in a video ordered his aide to ‘slap’ the cleric.

The Governor ordered, “Slap him, very well. I said slap him. Go and arrest him. Deal with him well-well.”

He thereafter uttered a Hausa idiomatic expression which was interpreted as “I have power.”

The cleric, who knelt down, was dragged away from the gathering by one of the security operatives suspected to be an officer of the Department of State Services.

Some of the people at the gathering were laughing and giggling when the governor gave the order.

The offence committed by the cleric was not known, but sources that spoke with the platform on the development, claimed that he wanted to give the closing prayer at the event which the governor opposed.

Some Nigerians in their reaction to the Governor’s action described it as an abuse of power.

A popular skit maker, Debo Adedayo, popularly known as Mr Macaroni, wrote, “A governor who has sworn to serve the people is ordering a security agent to assault the same citizen he sworn to serve. See security agent too, flexing muscles on a man already on his knees. Continue pushing the people until they get to the wall.

“See my people laughing and giggling while their brother, a fellow human being like them was being assaulted by the same person that swore to serve and protect them.”

Also an X user identified as @greatjoe01 tweeted, “I sincerely understand when people argue against state policing for fear of this kind of abuse of power from the governors. But what exactly are the governors not doing with the federal police now?

“Here is a DSS agent being ordered to carry out illegality. What are we afraid of?”

A human rights lawyer, Deji Ajare, who spoke with Punch condemned the governor’s action, describing it as a violation of the cleric’s right.

The governor’s Chief Press Secretary, Bologi Ibrahim, however, in his reaction to the development, said he was not aware of the viral video.

He said, “I am not aware of the video. Is it social media work? I will look for it, let me check.”