Protest: Police arrest 99 suspects for murder, vandalism in Borno

The Borno State Police Command has arrested 99 suspects for murder and vandalisation of public property worth millions of naira. According to the command, the arrests were made during the two-day national protests in Maiduguri Metropolitan Council (MMC) and Jere Local Councils.

Parading the suspects, at the weekend in Maiduguri, the Police Commissioner, Yusufu Lawal, disclosed that 91 units of exhibits, including seven Russian flags, bags of fertiliser and several office furniture, were recovered from the suspects.

He said the police collaborated with other security agencies and took proactive measures to mitigate the breakdown of law and order. He said miscreants took advantage of the national protests to commit acts of vandalism and treasonable felony.

“Besides vandalising public property, some of the protesters, comprising under-aged children, attacked the state’s Mechanical Workshop and the office complex of Borno State Traffic Management Agency (BOTMA) along Baga Road,” said Lawal. On the murder case, he explained: “One of the arrested suspects murdered a tricyclist and buried his body on that fateful night in the metropolis.”

According to him, seven social media influencers were among the other suspects arrested for allegedly monitoring cyberspace during the protest over economic hardship in the state.

“The suspected social media influencers called on followers to carry arms and perpetrate violence across the state. They insulted top government officials and traditional and religious leaders. Also, 83 suspects were arrested at various locations within the metropolis for vandalising public and private properties and looting about 91 items along Baga Road,” he said.

He said the World Food Programme’s warehouse and UNHRC facility were also vandalised while food items and furniture were carted away. “Some of the arrested suspects broke the windscreen of vehicles and burned used tyres on the streets of Maiduguri,” he added. The police commissioner urged members of the public to report any suspicious activities in their communities to the police.