Angry protesters against hardship and hunger have set seven buses belonging to the state’s Mass Transit on fire in Potiskum local government area of Yobe State.
LEADERSHIP gathered that the protest which started peacefully with demand for end to hardship and hunger, later turned violent in Potiskum town.
A credible source from Potiskum told our correspondent that the youths accused the police for causing the violence, insisting that the protest was peaceful when the protesters marched along major streets in the town.
The source also stressed that police operatives from nowhere started firing canisters of teargas into the crowd which forced protesters to react violently.
However, speaking to our correspondent via telephone, Yobe State Police Public Relations Officer, DSP Dungus Abdulkarim, said the Command was aware of the violence in three local government areas in the state.
Abdulkarim assured that security personnel were on top of the situation to ensure that the violence did not escalate to other parts of the state, saying that security has been beefed up across the state.
The police spokesman added that there were reports of arson in Potiskum where two cars and a house were burnt while a few other public and private structures were torched by the protesters.
He assured that security agencies will not take the situation for granted, restating its readiness to protect lives and properties of citizens across the state.
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