The Nigerian police have been caught on tape violently assaulting Hamza Waziri, a physically challenged protester, at the Bauchi Government House gate. Waziri, who leads the Initiative for the Liberalisation of Physically Challenged People, was participating in a hunger protest demanding economic reforms and employment inclusivity.

In the viral video, Waziri, in his wheelchair, is seen being wrestled and beaten by security operatives. He explained that he was peacefully demonstrating with others and filming the event when police attempted to confiscate his phone and subsequently attacked him.

In response, Bauchi State Governor Bala Mohammed has ordered a thorough investigation into the incident. The state’s Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Mukhtar Gidado, condemned the actions of the officers involved, emphasizing that the government does not tolerate violence or misconduct by law enforcement. The government has pledged to hold the responsible officers accountable and has called for calm and adherence to regulations during protests. Human rights groups and disability advocates have expressed outrage and are demanding prompt action against those involved.

Hamza Waziri explained, “I decided to organise this protest to show my displeasure with the current economic situation of the country.

“In the process, I was doing a live video so one of the police came to me and said that I had filmed him and they were trying to grab the phone from me. And they were hustling me to grab the phone from my hand and that is how they kept brutalizing me. They gave me a couple of punches as you can see from the video.”

Waziri maintained “So basically I was very peaceful. There were not more than ten of us but I was the only one actually standing in front of the Government House just to raise our placards that said ‘Employment should be for all”, “Everybody should be allowed to be employed’, ‘Inclusive Society’.

“So that was what our placards were carrying. So that is what basically transpired between us and the securities.”

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