Police in Kaduna, on Saturday, arrested scores of demonstrators protesting alleged genocide in the Southern part of the state.
The protesters also decried the inability of the state government to stop the incessant killing of people in their Southern Kaduna homestead.
The demonstrators, it was learnt, also brought activities at the Kaduna Refining and Petrochemical Company, a subsidiary of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation, located in the Chikun Local Government Area of the state, to a halt during the protest.
The protesters, made up mainly of youths, were said to have defied security operatives, whose presence was said to have been intended to intimidate them into aborting their action.
The youths demanded the urgent intervention of both the Federal and state governments in order to find a lasting solution to the killings in Southern Kaduna.
The protesters, most of whom wore black attires, carried placards with various inscriptions such as “Enough is Enough,” “We cannot continue like this,” “Southern Kaduna lives matter,” “Government has failed us,” “Allow us to defend ourselves if you can’t,” “End killings in Southern Kaduna,” among others.
State police spokesman, Mohammed Jalige, confirmed the arrest of some of the protesters, saying that they did not obtain police permission before embarking on their action.
“Some of them were arrested because they did not inform us about the procession. I cannot tell you how many of them were picked now, but I will get back to you later,” Jalige said.