Bago orders arrest of Suleja man for shouting ‘No light, no water’
From Justina Asishana, Minna Niger State Governor, Mohammed Umaru Bago has ordered the arrest and detention in Minna of Malam Abdullahi Hamisu, a All Progressives Congress (APC) polling unit mobiliser
From Justina Asishana, Minna
Niger State Governor, Mohammed Umaru Bago has ordered the arrest and detention in Minna of Malam Abdullahi Hamisu, a All Progressives Congress (APC) polling unit mobiliser in Magajiya Ward, Suleja Local Government Area, after the man protested the lack of electricity and water supply during Eid-el-Fitr on March 20.
Sources said Hamisu was first spotted among worshippers who shouted “no light, no water” at the Eid Prayer Ground in Suleja while the governor joined the Emir of Suleja, Alhaji Awwal Ibrahim, and thousands of residents for the two-rakat prayers.
It was also reported that during the governor’s address at the Emir’s palace, he interrupted again with the same chant of “no light, no water”.
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According to sources, the governor identified Hamisu, asked him to step forward, and told him that electricity supply was the responsibility of the distribution company and educated him on how the electricity sector works.
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Bago, then, declared he would “teach him a lesson on how to approach leaders” and immediately ordered his arrest. Security operatives whisked the man away to Minna, where he remains in detention at the police headquarters.
Several attempts by family members and some residents to secure his bail have so far failed, as the police insist they would need to get instructions from the governor before any release or prosecution could occur.
Hamisu has not been charged.
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Residents who know him insist he committed no crime beyond voicing a grievance that many in Suleja share.“There is no electricity, no functional water pump. He only said what everyone knows,” one community member told reporters.
It would be recalled that there have been long-standing issues of lack of water and electricity across Niger with the governor coming out to ask residents to seek alternative sources of power due to unstable electricity.
The governor was also approached in February at the Minna Central Mosque by youths who demanded for electricity and water.
In a strongly worded appeal circulating on social media, concerned citizens of the Suleja Emirate have urged the governor to release Hamisu unconditionally. They pointed out that such an incident was not to discredit the governor but to enable him to be accountable to the people and gain their trust.
“The community of Suleja is in a serious situation of lack of water and power, and the situation has reached a very worrying level. Leadership is trust, and lifting that burden requires patience and perseverance, not anger,” a source said.
Bago has not issued any statement on the arrest. Efforts made to reach the governor’s Chief Press Secretary were unsuccessful as he said he was busy and could not respond when a call went through to him.
The detention has sparked quiet but growing concern among APC loyalists and ordinary residents in Suleja, who say the action risks sending the wrong message about freedom of expression during a festive period meant for unity and reflection.
As of yesterday afternoon, Hamisu remained in police custody in Minna.
