A magistrate court in Jigawa State has remanded Umar Danjani and 73 others in custody over alleged arson at the All Progressives Congress (APC) head office in the state.
Mr. Danjani, the youth leader of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) campaign council for Atiku Abubakar in the 2023 presidential election, was remanded alongside the others in the correctional facility in Birnin Kudu Local Government Area.
The police spokesperson in the state, Lawan Adam, stated that Mr. Danjani was arrested at the APC secretariat during the EndBadGovernance protest in Dutse, the state capital.
The suspects were charged with criminal conspiracy, mischief by fire, rioting, disturbance of public peace, theft, and destruction of billboards, according to the police.
Jigawa’s police commissioner, Abdullahi Tijjani, explained during a press conference on Saturday that Mr. Danjani and the other suspects were arrested on the first day of the protest.
“Some unscrupulous and unpatriotic elements who are bent on destabilizing the polity decided to use and engage underaged children and teenagers, leading to violence and destruction of public properties in the state capital, and other places,” he said.
“They engaged in the destruction of government properties and disruption of economic activities in the state, leaving security agents with no option other than to use minimal force to disperse the violent protesters.
The violent protests spread to local government areas such as Hadejia, Birnin Kudu, Gumel, Kazaure, Babura, and other areas.”
He added, “About 312 suspects have been arrested, out of which 74 have been charged to court.”
Reacting to the development, Amnesty International criticized the remand of Mr. Danjani, calling for his immediate release. In a statement on its X handle, Amnesty International stated that subjecting critical voices to intimidation and arbitrary actions is unlawful.
“Amnesty International calls for the immediate and unconditional release of Umar Danjani – one of the protesters against hunger, who was hurriedly remanded in Birnin Kudi prison. Subjecting critical voices to intimidation and arbitrary arrests for speaking out is unlawful,” Amnesty said.
