Hundreds of corps members yesterday blocked the popular Murtala Muhammed Square in Kaduna and locked up the state Commissioner of Youths and Sports, Nazifi Jibrin Mohammed, over non-payment of their annual allowance by the state government.

The corps members, who were among those that completed their one year service in the state yesterday, blocked the road by the square and locked up the commissioner as well as barred motorists and other road users from passing the area.

The demonstration was peaceful and it was devoid of placards, it was gathered.

Speaking to Daily Trust, a leader of the protesting corps members, Sani Umar, said the allowance was supposed to be paid on Wednesday, a day before their passing out parade (POP).

“The Kaduna State government was supposed to pay those of us that served at schools N30,000 at the end of our year of service. But today is our POP; they have not paid us; most of us were from other states and not Kaduna.

“Our state coordinator on Wednesday assured us that the money would be paid today (yesterday), but now the commissioner said we should come back today. We will not leave here until when they paid us; please tell them to stop playing games with our money,” he said.

Efforts to get the commissioner on his mobile phone to seek for his own side of the story were unsuccessful, even as the protesting corps members barred our correspondent like many other persons from going into the ministry.

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