Angry youths in Bida, Niger State, on Sunday attacked the convoy of Governor Umar Bago, damaging several vehicles and injuring a government official after a failed cash handout.
Eyewitnesses said the violence erupted after the governor’s earlier promise to distribute cash gifts ahead of the local government elections. The scheme, meant to benefit residents, reportedly favoured only a few, leaving many others enraged.
“The governor promised that everyone would receive money, but only a few people got anything. That’s when the youths started shouting and attacking,” an eyewitness said.
Witnesses said the protesters hurled stones and sachet water at the convoy near the town hall, damaging at least six vehicles. They also tore down All Progressives Congress (APC) and Governor Bago’s billboards in the area, accusing him of neglect and unfulfilled promises.
Abubakar Mustapha, Chairman of the New Niger Development Project, was injured in the incident and taken to the Federal Medical Centre in Bida for treatment.
The unrest follows a deadly stampede days earlier during a similar cash distribution event in Bida, where a young girl reportedly died and several others were injured.
Authorities have yet to release an official statement on Sunday’s attack.
