Kaduna state governor, Malam Nasir Ahmad El-Rufai yesterday warned commercial drivers in the state against blocking highways for any reason whatsoever.
Malam El-Rufai said that it is unacceptable that the drivers should inflict hardships on citizens whenever they have disagreements with security or law-enforcement agencies.
The governor declared that the practice of taking innocent citizens as hostages must stop. He said that every form of power must be exercised with responsibility, explaining that to organize against illegal conduct by public officials is a legitimate duty that must be conducted within the bounds of legality. “Lawless conduct in protest at illegality itself becomes problematic as it could provoke violence when it prevents ordinary people from the peaceful conduct of their business.”
El –Rufai in a statement signed by his Special Assistant on Media and Publicity, Samuel Aruwan said the government will prosecute any one or groups of persons that wantonly disturbs the peace.
The government was reacting to Thursday’s blockage of the Nnamdi Azikiwie Express Way, Kaduna-Abuja Express Way by aggrieved drivers protesting allegedly extortion by security agencies.
The blocking of the roads caused untold hardship for thousands of passengers traveling into and out of the state from Kano, Katsina, Niger, Zamfara, Sokoto, Kogi states and Federal Capital Territory, Abuja.
The statement quoted the governor as saying, “Our plea goes to innocent citizens who went through untold hardship and trauma following the blockage of the routes that lasted several hours. It is a regrettable incident and a situation that is totally unacceptable to the government and the people of the state.
“There are lawful means of making complaints that ought to be followed and not for people to be taking laws into their owns hand without recourse to law.
“This is the second experience in less than two weeks and we will no longer tolerate it, and from now on, any one or groups found indulging in this act will be prosecuted for inciting violence and threatening the peace of the state and also infringing on fundamental rights of the citizenry.”
