The enthusiasm witnessed among protesters across the country last Thursday on the first day of the nationwide protest against hardship began to diminish yesterday as the protest entered its second day. Organisers had planned for the protest to span over 10 days.
The state of the protest
On Thursday, when the peaceful demonstration began, PREMIUM TIMES reported how it gradually turned violent in states such as Kano, Gombe, Yobe, Abuja, Jigawa, Borno, Kaduna and Niger.
Amnesty International reported security forces were responsible for the deaths of the 13 protesters in Niger State, Maiduguri, which is the capital of Borno State, and Kaduna, all in the north. In response, residents in northern Nigeria were placed under 24-hour curfews. Governments in the states of Kano, Jigawa, Yobe, and Katsina ordered locals not to leave their homes and therefore not attend protests on Friday.
Abuja Protesters came back to Moshood Abiola Stadium. The police had earlier dispersed much of the protesters when they moved towards Independence Avenue and marched towards Eagles Square. Some protesters claimed the police shot live ammunition at them and that some people were injured.
The protesters said security officials fired live ammunition at times while trying to stop them from marching to Eagle Square. Two protesters were reportedly hit in the process and have been taken to the hospital.
Amid a heavy security presence in the commercial capital, Lagos, protesters marched toward government buildings, ringing bells, chanting, and carrying placards denouncing corruption and Nigeria’s green and white flag. They were led down the street by armed security personnel.
Al Jazeera’s Ahmed Idris said the number of protesters on the streets on Friday appeared smaller than the previous day.
“The participation or the numbers we’re seeing here are far less than what we saw yesterday,” he said.
Protesters in Port Harcourt, Rivers State, converged on Pleasure Park on Friday to continue their protests against the country’s economic hardship.
Normalcy has returned to Ondo, Ogun, and Oyo after the protest, on Thursday across the country. There were no protests in these states, and transporters are now back to business, happily transporting passengers to various destinations in the state capitals.
Residents of Anambra, Abia, and most of Eastern Nigeria, who abstained from the recent hardship and governance protest that swept through different parts of the nation on Thursday, have now resumed their regular activities. Some individuals from these states, who shared their thoughts on Friday, praised their fellow citizens for not engaging in the protests, believing that their states would have faced more challenges if they had participated.
Mr. Okechukwu Obibuaku, a trader, expressed his satisfaction that Igbo residents outside the Southeast did not join the protests but instead protected their businesses during the unrest.
He said:
“I called my brothers and other relatives in Lagos and Abuja and warned them against taking part in the protest and I am happy they obeyed. In fact, we agreed that they should not open their shops until the 10 days mapped out for the protest are over.”
In Jos, Plateau state, the second day of the #EndBadGovernance protest was peaceful. There was a further decrease in vehicular and pedestrian movement compared to Day One of the protest. Economic activities in the city centre were reduced to very few shops opening for sale.
This is a developing story
