The #EndBadGovernance 2024 protest has begun, and protesters have taken to the streets in various locations nationwide. The organisers, many young people, say they are frustrated by the country’s economic conditions and have vowed “10 days of rage” in demonstrations.
The state of the protests
Ongoing protests have been reported in various locations, including Abuja, Lagos, Oyo, Kano, Kaduna, Port Harcourt, and many other states in Nigeria. While the protests have remained peaceful in many locations, protesters, in some instances, have been met with forceful reactions from law enforcement agencies.
In Abuja, police officers deployed tear gas before midday to deter those who gathered around Eagle Square, an open-air auditorium close to the Nigerian president’s residence often used for presidential ceremonies. A Wednesday court order granted to the capital city’s minister required protests to be limited to a stadium away from the central business and government agency districts.
In Kano and Lagos, the most populous states in Nigeria, large groups of demonstrators marched through various areas, heading towards the governors’ residences. Reports from local news outlets indicated that protesters at the Lekki tollgate in Lagos were exposed to tear gas. This tollgate holds significance as it was the site where, in October 2020, security forces shot at peaceful protesters to suppress the EndSARS movement against police brutality.
In Kaduna, a police officer was reportedly shot by hoodlums during the protest. Sani Kila, Chief of Staff (CoS), told the state governor that the police officer had been taken to the Nigerian Army Referral Hospital opposite the government house.
Kila also dismissed reports that the state government has imposed a 24-hour curfew in Kaduna. Mansir Hassan, the police spokesperson in the state, said 25 suspected hoodlums were arrested during the protest.
Meanwhile, in Jigawa State, it was reported that three individuals lost their lives, and several others were wounded when the police used tear gas to scatter troublemakers who had mixed into the protest.
Farouq Lawal, commissioner of police in Borno, revealed in a statement, “Boko Haram militants infiltrated a protest, killing four individuals and injuring 34 others,” Lawal said.
According to the Daily Trust newspaper, six individuals lost their lives on Thursday in confrontations with the police while trying to remove a roadblock set up by protesters in Minna, the capital of Niger state.
Several mobile internet users on the networks of Nigeria’s four major operators experienced lower connectivity levels than usual on Thursday. A representative from the Nigerian Communications Commission, the regulatory body for internet services, said it had not received any complaints regarding service quality and clarified that it had not instructed operators to limit access.
What are protesters demanding?
Organisers and supporters of the protest have demanded the government reverse the hike in fuel prices and institutions’ hike in tertiary education fees, offer free education, end insecurity, declare a state of emergency on inflation, disclose lawmakers’ pay, reopen national borders, reduce import duties, put an end to hunger, economic hardship, and bad governance, among others.
While there has been no statement from the President since the protest began, the protesters have vowed to keep protesting until their demands are met.
This is a developing story
