Youths Protest Killing Of Sokoto Monarch By Bandits

There is palpable tension across Sabon Birnin local government area of Sokoto State on Thursday as youths of Gatawa community trooped out to protest the gruesome murder of their traditional ruler, Isa Muhammad Bawa, by bandits.

The district head was killed before the ransom and other items demanded by the bandits, who abducted him, could get to them on Wednesday.

Shortly after funeral prayer was held in the monarch’s honour in Gatawa town on Thursday, some youths within the community immediately embarked on protest, chanting anti-government slogans.

They alleged that the state government did not do enough to ensure the monarch was rescue alive.

They also pointed accusing fingers at some political leaders, especially those from Sabon Birni local government area, alleging that they deliberately allowed the district head, who is also known as Sarki Gobir, to suffer in the hands of the kidnappers before he was killed.

Recall that the district head had in a viral video released a few days before he was pronounced dead on Wednesday night, appealed to the state government, friends and well-wishers to save his life by paying the ransom demanded by his abductors.

In the 59-second-long video released by bandits, the 74-year-old monarch was pleading to all concerned to save his life from the hands of his abductors.

He said, “I want to call on my people, my lovers, my friends and my leaders to know that it has gotten to the end today, Wednesday.

“So if they want to help me, they should do so, I swear to Allah, this people too are tired of us, they have done all they could do but the government did not help us.

“I have been appealing to the government to help me but they didn’t, and I am their worker over the years. I have been working for the state government.”

When contacted about the protest, the spokesman of the Nigerian Force, Sokoto State Sommand, ASP Ahmed Rufai, said the command was on top of the situation.

The PPRO said, “we have prepared ahead for this as it was revealed through intelligence. Since morning when the funeral prayer was about to be conducted, the command has dispatched a tactical team from four local governments close to Sabon Birnin to join the team in the local government.

“We are already taking control of the protest to ensure it doesn’t lead to crisis.”