How Leader Of Katsina Protest Was Arrested, Moved To Abuja ‘For Insulting Buhari’s Spokesman’

Board of Trustees’ Chairman of Coalition of Northern Groups (CNG) Nastura Ashir Shariff {pictured}, and alleged mastermind of Tuesday’s protest in Katsina, has been detained at the Force Headquarters in Abuja purportedly on the grounds that he insulted the Special Adviser to President Buhari on Media and Publicity, Femi Adesina.   

The CNG disclosed that Shariff was arrested Tuesday afternoon and moved to Abuja shortly after the peaceful protests in Katsina against the killings of helpless citizens by bandits and “is currently being detained at the Police Force Headquarters, Abuja”.

This was contained in a statement issued on Wednesday by the group’s spokesperson, Abdul-Azeez Suleiman, lamenting that “Shariff is detained on an allegation of insulting Adesina without minding that Adesina was the first to insult and denigrate the person of a respected northern elder, Professor Anglo Abdullahi which provoked widespread outrage.

AllNews had reported that hundreds of Katsina youths on Tuesday embarked on a peaceful protest, calling for the immediate resignation of President Muhammadu Buhari if he cannot arrest the deteriorating security challenges bedeviling the North-west region and Katsina State in particular.

The protesters, under the aegis of Coalition of Northern Groups, said that the federal government and North-west state governors had failed to tackle the bloodletting in the region.

Giving an account of how their BoT chairman was arrested and detained, Suleiman said, “After the protests, which was universally adjudged to very peaceful as reported on both electronic and versions of the international and national media, Shariff led the national excos of CNG to the Katsina Police Commissioner to show appreciation for the professional conduct of the police throughout the peaceful assembly.’

“After thanking him and handing him the petition for onward transmission to the Governor because he received the protesters at the Government House, the CP informed the delegation that the IG wanted to see Shariff in Abuja.

“Shariff accepted to go see the IG and even cancelled prior appointments in Kano but the CP said that arrangements have been made to convey him to Abuja.

“He agreed to be conveyed by the police and other members of the CNG executives went with him in the same vehicle. On arrival late last night, he was made to make a statement which he did and was thereafter detained,” they said.

However, the three other executives were asked to go and come back today, Wednesday for further processes for his release.

The statement continued, “They’ve been there since morning. The feedback we have been receiving from our men on ground, says Shariff is accused of insulting Femi Adesina, a presidential media aide and protests.

“CNG is shocked that a government which is bound to observe the true tenets of democracy can go all out to breach a people’s constitutionally guaranteed civil right to publicly and peacefully call government to account for its handling of security and citizen safety.”

 “The protest, as record shows, was the most peaceful ever in recent times which was even confirmed by the Katsina police commissioner who received the protesters at the Government House.

“It is therefore really shocking that people who happen to be the major beneficiaries of public protests would refuse to tolerate peaceful protests by others even where those protests are to challenge wanton and unwarranted killings of innocent citizens.

The coalition, which urged its supporters to remain calm as their team of lawyers look into the matter, called on the international community, global human rights actors to note the situation.