A protest organised by the FCT Youth Stakeholders Forum and other concerned groups in Abuja on Wednesday was hijacked by suspected hoodlums, resulting in chaos and injury to one person.
The protest, which took place in the evening, turned violent around 8:30 p.m. when miscreants infiltrated the gathering, prompting security personnel to intervene in order to prevent a breakdown of law and order.
One of the protesters, identified as Mohamed Kamal, 25, of Karshi, reportedly sustained a head injury while fleeing the scene and was rushed to the National Hospital, Abuja, where he is currently receiving treatment at the Intensive Care Unit.
In a proactive move to de-escalate rising tensions, the FCT Commissioner of Police invited youth leaders from the six Area Councils of the FCT for a roundtable dialogue aimed at preventing a resurgence of protests.
During the meeting, intelligence was shared indicating that some youths were planning to revive the protest. However, after deliberations, the youth leaders agreed to suspend further demonstrations while awaiting a response from the government on their demands.