Gombe State Police Command has confirmed that five of its personnel were variously injured when the peaceful protest against bad governance suddenly turned violent at the main gate of the Government House.
Commissioner of Police, Hayatu Usman, made the confirmation late Thursday evening while fielding questions from Journalists in his office.
The Commissioner also denied the alleged killing of any of the protesters saying, “I have not received any case of killing anybody and I am telling you authoritatively because there are Five Divisional Police Officers in the network and nobody reported that to me, all I know was that Five of our Policemen were injured.”
According to him,”They were at Government House gate when the protesters started throwing stones at us, that’s why we decided to use smoke to disperse them. It is a lie, you can go and verify yourself, nobody was killed and no live ammunition was shut.”
Hayatu Usman added, “We were using smoke throughout, though it was not easy, but by the Grace of God, we were able to control it and people are going about doing their businesses and we have restored order. You can verify it yourself.”
Speaking further, the Police Commissioner said that his officers were able to recover some looted items from the criminals who infiltrated the end bad governance protest which turned violent when protesters were prevented from gaining entry into the Government House after converging at the roundabout along the centre of the town popularly called cross.
The items looted but recovered included bags of fertiliser, office equipment which were tampered with at the Gombe Bureau of Public Reforms located close to Bima Lodge just as shops along the Sabonline were forcefully opened.
Hayatu Usman added that, “They opened a shop and immediately we dispatched a team from Safer Highway led by one Officer and on sighting the Policemen, they disappeared even though they have broken into the shop. But I think they did not loot everything because of the prompt response and arrival of the Police team.”
While narrating further, what led to the breakdown of law and order, the Police Commissioner said that “I was with the protesters when they were coming all the way from Barunde, because they appeared peaceful and calm carrying placards and they were not holding even a stick because i didn’t see anybody with it, but, all of a sudden, their number increased, initially they were in their hundreds and they became thousands.”
He added that “We were moving without any problem until when we arrived at the Government House where they insisted that they want to force themselves inside, but, we prevented them and so, became unruly, started throwing stones at us that’s why we used teargas that time to disperse them.”
“We were doing that and some of them from the other side, possibly from central roundabout, they were coming towards the Government House roundabout and close to Bima Lodge, when we were trying to curtail those at the Government House, the ones from nowhere, let me say, thieves entered Bureau of Public Reforms and carried some items,” he added.
He said “But, we thank God, we were able to recover some of the items stolen and other members of the public are helping us with information on recovering other items back, even at Bolari, they were prevented from entering the place with the property they stole so they collected them and handed it over to DPO Gombe.”
Commenting on the possibility of declaring curfew, Hayatu Usman said there was no need for it, adding that, “I am not the one to declare curfew but the state government and I don’t think there’s any need for that.”
According to him, “We are looking forward for the good people of Gombe state to help us, because these people are not wishing the state well, they are criminals in the name of hiding behind the protest, they are breaking people’s shops and stealing.”
