At least one person was injured Thursday at the Borno State government house when soldiers and police exchanged fire as they fought over food items distributed by the government to mark the Ramadan fast.
The
government has since Monday distributed large amounts of rice and Semovita to
poor residents.
On
Thursday, thousands of people converged at the entrance of the government
building in Maiduguri, forming a lengthy queue of men, women and the aged who
hoped for either a 25kg bag of rice or Semovita, or both.
As
the distribution started, police barred vehicles from accessing the venue,
except those on special permission.
At
about 11am, a Nigerian Army truck showed up, insisting on gaining access to the
venue where rice and Semovita were being shared.
Suspecting
that the soldiers were trying to help themselves to the handouts, police
officers demanded they turn back immediately.
This
led to an argument and an angry soldier allegedly opened fire, injuring a policeman
in the leg, witnesses said.
The
police responded and gunshots rent the air as thousands gathered scampered for
safety.
It took
the intervention of other senior security officers to prevent the situation
from degenerating.
One
of the army officers drafted to help control the crowd, identified only as
Idris, a lieutenant, did not go free, as angry policemen who accused him of
instigating the crisis, beat him up.
The
commander of the operation Lafiya Dole, Lucky Irabor, a Major General, was
called in by the Borno State Attorney General, Kaka Shehu Lawan, to restore
order.
Calm
returned after Mr. Irabor arrived alongside the state police commissioner and
the director of State Security Service.
Addressing
the parties in conflict, Mr. Irabor described the situation as “shameful and
highly unbecoming of uniformed officers.”
“What
is a bag of rice that will give you the cause to be angry? Bag of rice? It is
shameful. If the world hears that it is because of bag of that made police and
soldiers to be fighting, is it not shameful? Let us not behave like children:
all of us have children at home. Soldiers and policemen should be seen to be
matured in their dispositions at all times.”
He
urged the conflicting parties to calm down.
“While
everyone is clapping for good that we have been doing, let us not also do
things that will make them to begin to stone us. I want you to calm your
nerves, because in a family you are likely to find incidents of
misunderstanding.”
As
a result of the incident, the government suspended the distribution of the
freebies, leaving expectant beneficiaries disappointed and frustrated.
The
Borno state government is expected to issue a statement later on whether the
exercise will continue.
The
army also said it will be addressing a press conference to further state its
position on the incident.
-Premium Times
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