Youths Condemn Violence In Kaduna Subsidy Protest

YakowaYOUTHS in Kaduna, from all ethnic backgrounds, have condemned the violence which erupted from protest against the removal of oil subsidy, vowing to resist any attempt by any group to unleash mayhem and disrupt peace in the state.

Besides, the youth coalition, which included the Zazzau Youth Forum, Northern Youth Democratic Union, South-South Youth Congress, Ndigbo Youth Forum, Yoruba Youth Association and the Joint Northern and Southern Kaduna Youth Forum, at a press conference in Kaduna yesterday, also condemned attempt by some faceless groups to weep up ethnic and religious sentiments to cause disharmony in the state.

Addressing journalists, the Coordinator of the Youth Coalition and Chairman of the Zauzau Youth Forum, Mallam Abdulhamid Abdullahi said “it is with a deep sense of pain that we address you on the events of the last few days in our dear state, which almost led to a complete break-down of law and order, but for the prompt and pro-active measure taken by the Kaduna State Security Council.

“Let it be made clear that we do not hold brief for the protesters or the Kaduna State government, we are just patriotic youths saying no to violence under whatever disguise as we must never allow our state to be turned into a war zone”.

According to Abdullahi, “in as much as we support the approach adopted by the Labour unions in Kaduna State to protest peacefully against the removal of fuel subsidy, it is quite unfortunate that the demonstration took a new dimension that is totally unacceptable to us, and as youth organizations which make up the bulk of the population, we find it expedient to speak out.

“We were happy when the Kaduna state NLC realised that the protests was being hijacked by unpatriotic elements, and immediately called for an end to the demonstrations and protests and asked everyone to continue the protest through a sit-at-home order. We were therefore amased that persons below the ages of 10 years were recruited and conscripted to cause mayhem and breach the peace”.

Abdullahi said the youths “were equally taken aback when these unpatriotic elements tried to force their way into Sir Kashim Ibrahim House (Govt House), the seat of power.  This is totally unacceptable to us and we denounce such unpatriotic acts in the strongest possible terms.