‘Intimidation Won’t Scare Us Away’: Northern Protesters Vow to Continue

A group of activists who organised a peaceful protest against the ongoing cases of violent insecurity in northern Nigeria have vowed to continue the protest despite the presence of security forces and intimidation. 

One of the Abuja protesters, Rahma Abdulmajid, posted on Facebook that the protesters are currently holding prayer sessions, which will be followed by a massive protest across northern Nigeria. 

“Deploying police on major roads will not deter us,” she said. “I swear we’ll come out as soon as we finish praying, the only thing that will stop us is if you transfer these security guards to the front lines to provide security.”

The protest, which was largely organised by northern female activists, began yesterday, Friday, Dec. 10, in Abuja, Kano, and Bauchi. It was sparked by a recent attack on motorists in Sokoto that resulted in the deaths of travellers who were burned alive. 

The Department of Security Service (DSS) in Kano invited one of the conveners to their office and told her to boycott future protests because they would be hijacked by criminals. She announced her withdrawal from the protest on Facebook yesterday night. 

However, Rahma Abdulmajid and other protesters in Abuja and other states have promised to continue and have asked the DSS to protect them from criminals who they claim are planning to wreak havoc.

HumAngle earlier reported how a coalition of activists asked the Nigerian government to take decisive action against terrorists who are killing innocent citizens in the northern region of the country, “and not issue condemnations alone each time there is an attack.”