RESIDENTS of Kanon Haki have accused security operatives of killing two protesters and leaving four others injured during a protest in Katsina on Wednesday.
According to a report by BBC Hausa, the father of one of the protesters confirmed the killing while speaking during an interview.
“I told them, how do they want us to feel now bandits have killed seven people? You shot two people, and we brought four to hospitals.
“After noticing the condition of the boy and upon hearing the doctor referring us to a general hospital in Katsina, they sneaked out of the hospital,” he said.
The protesters took over the Funtua-Sheme Highway in Katsina on Wednesday in reaction to killings and terror attacks.
The highway was barricaded with sticks and stones while some protesters made a bonfire in the middle of the road.
Commuters travelling through that route during the protest were stranded for several hours.
On Tuesday, the terrorists attacked Unguwa Ibrahim Maiwada and Kanon Haki villages in the Faskari Local Government Area (LGA) of the state, killing seven persons and abducting five women.
Angry residents reacted through the protest on Wednesday and were dispersed by security operatives, including troops of the Nigerian Army and other security agencies, during which some of them were killed.
Public Relations Officer of the Katsina State Police Command Gambo Isah has, however, denied reports of the killings.
He responded to a text from The ICIR seeking further clarifications and details of the incident with a message that simply read “not true.”
Ijeoma Opara is a journalist with The ICIR. Reach her via [email protected] or @ije_le on Twitter.