BY ADEYEMI AKANJI, IN Gombe – Protesters made up of mostly youths participating in the ongoing nationwide #ENDSARS protests on Tuesday trooped out on the street of Gombe to join their counterparts across the country.
This was as other youths believed to be sponsored hoodlums wielding various dangerous weapons on the streets hijacked the protest and turned it into a violent atmosphere attacking innocent citizens and in the process attacked four Journalists including the State Correspondent of The Nation newspapers, Mr. Shola Shittu as well as the crew of NTA Gombe and other Journalists who were covering the protest.
The victims were immediately rushed to a Government hospital in Gombe for medical attention while other Journalists ran to the Government House for cover.
Reports have it that the protesters had converged at the Yola Road roundabout from where they started matching towards to the town with the Government House as their destination chanting various songs with placards calling for an end to SARS and other forms of brutality by the Police.
It however took the prompt intervention of the State Police Command to avert what could have turned devastating as some of the hoodlums were said to have hijacked the protests and started destroying public property along the street.
The Police personnel who were before then just watching to prevent breakdown of law and order, had to use minimal force to disperse the protesters when the situation was getting out of control.
One of the youths who participated in the protest told our correspondent saying; “We came out to have a peaceful protest but along the way, hoodlums infiltrated us and started destroying public property on the street. The Police came and dispersed us, I am back home now”.
The command PPRO DSP Mary Mallun when called, neither deny nor confirm the development but told our correspondent on phone that, “I am busy doing something now, as soon as I finish, I will call you back”.
As of the time of filing this report, 5.10pm, the PPRO neither called back as promised nor pick up the phone when she was called several times by our correspondent.
