Disturbed by regular bandit attacks, some angry residents have set ablaze the palace of Emir of Maru in the Maru local government area of Zamfara State.
The demonstration, which began as a peaceful march on Thursday, turned violent after security forces intervened.
The protesters were decrying the recent abduction of 10 people, including the Chief Imam of Maru Central Mosque, Salisu Suleman, his two wives, and seven children.
According to a local source, armed assailants stormed the town around 2 a.m. on Wednesday, firing indiscriminately to instill fear before seizing their victims.
“They later abducted the Imam and nine others who are his family members during the attack,” the source said.
Outraged by the ongoing insecurity, mostly young protesters took to the streets, demanding urgent government action. The demonstration disrupted traffic along the Sokoto-Gusau highway, prompting security forces to intervene.
As frustration mounted, protesters made their way to the Emir’s palace, setting fire to part of the structure in an expression of their anger over what they see as the government’s failure to protect them.
A video from the scene showed flames consuming part of the palace, with a voice in the background stating, “This is a fire outbreak in Emir’s palace.”
Efforts to obtain comments from Zamfara Police Command Spokesperson, Yazid Abubakar, were unsuccessful, as at the time of filling this report.
