Nigeria Police Force have reportedly arrested Nastura Ashir Sharif, the Chairman of Board of Trustees of Coalition of Northern Groups (CNG) who was among the conveners of #ArewaIsBleeding protest in Katsina State.
In a statement from the spokesperson of the CNG, Abdul-Azeez Suleiman said that Mr Ashir is currently being detained in the Police Headquarter, Abuja.
Abdul-Azeez added that the Chairman was arrested after the protest on Tuesday, June 16, 2020.
The spokesperson described the arrest of the convener as very shocking, especially under a democratic government.
“He is against the killing of helpless citizens by bandits,” CNG posted on its Facebook page.
Yasir Ibrahim, one of the protesters, told HumAngle that they held a peaceful protest in Katsina to express worries over the heightened insecurity in the state and there is a plan to hold similar protests in the 19 states of Northern Nigeria.
“We held a peaceful protest which even the Commissioner of Police (Katsina Command) commended us on,” Yasir told HumAngle.
“No one was injured and no public property was damaged. But after we left the office of the Commissioner of Police, we heard our leader, Alhaji Ashir Nastura, was arrested in Abuja.
“We believe he was arrested because there is a plan to continue the protest in all the states of Northern Nigeria,” he said.
A viral video shows Mr Ashir condemning President Buhari for his nonchalant response to the worsening insecurity in the Northwest.
The CNG, also, had earlier condemned the response of Mr Femi Adesina, the Spokesperson of the Presidency, who called Northern Elders Forum (NEF) irritant after its members described President Muhammadu Buhari as a failure to the North.
“The Coalition of Northern Groups is shocked at the contemptuous, irresponsible, and lazy response of the Presidency through Femi Adesina,” a statement released by the group on June 15, 2020, expressed.
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