Police authorities in Borno State have reported that suspected Boko Haram insurgents infiltrated a protest along Baga Road in Maiduguri, leading to the death of four individuals and injuring 34 others.
Mr Yusuf Lawal, the police commissioner informed the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) about the incident.
He noted that the police had quickly deployed the Explosive Ordnance Device (EOD) team to secure the area, particularly around a nearby filling station.
The injured and the deceased were promptly taken to Specialist Hospital, Maiduguri, for medical attention and autopsy, respectively.
Lawal also revealed that a 24-hour curfew had been imposed following the incident, noting that many of the protesters were minors, primarily almajiris aged between 9 and 15, who had begun to vandalize public property along the Maiduguri-Kano road.
Despite police efforts to calm the situation, the crowd became increasingly unruly, breaking through police barriers and hurling stones at officers. The unrest spread to other parts of Maiduguri, where rioters targeted the Borno State Mechanical Workshop on Baga Road, looting vocational training equipment and damaging five official vehicles belonging to BOTMA.
Law enforcement managed to arrest 14 suspects, who are currently being investigated by the Command’s Criminal Investigation Department. Meanwhile, the situation in other local government areas of Borno State remains stable, with continuous monitoring and patrols in place.
NAN