Suspected hoodlums reportedly hijacked a protest organised by the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Youth Stakeholders Forum and other groups in Abuja on Wednesday, leaving one person injured.

The group marched to the National Assembly on Wednesday to protest the appointment of a native of Benue state, Solomon Adodo, into the board of the newly established North Central Development Commission (NCDC) and demand the appointment of an indigene of the FCT into the board.

According to Zagazola Makama, a security analyst and counterinsurgency expert, the suspected hoodlums infiltrated the protest, which started in the evening, around 8:30 pm.

A 25-year-old protester, who has been identified as Mohamed Kamal, sustained an injury.

“One of the protesters, identified as Mohamed Kamal, 25, of Karshi, reportedly sustained a head injury while fleeing the scene and was rushed to the National Hospital, Abuja, where he is currently receiving treatment at the Intensive Care Unit,” Makama noted.

The Commissioner of Police for the FCT, Ajao Saka Adewale, invited youth leaders from the six Area Councils of the FCT for a dialogue in a bid to prevent a recurrence and the youth leaders agreed to suspend the protest.

“During the meeting, intelligence was shared indicating that some youths were planning to revive the protest,” the security analyst added.

“However, after deliberations, the youth leaders agreed to suspend further demonstrations while awaiting a response from the government on their demands.”