N o fewer than 17 persons were feared killed in Abuja, Kano, Niger, Borno, Kaduna, and Jigawa during the #EndBadGovernance protest held across the country on Thursday.
One person was shot dead in Abuja and Kano, two killed in Jigawa, six others were reportedly gunned down by security forces in Niger, while four died in Borno and three in Kaduna.
The Protests
The protests, which began peacefully, took a violent turn in some cities, leading to confrontations between the police and the protesters. Businesses, banks, shopping plazas, and some markets did not open for fear of the protests escalating into a crisis.
In Abuja, a victim was shot dead along the Kubwa expressway. An eyewitness, Ekaete, said the man, whose identity could not be immediately confirmed, was gunned down after the protesters became violent and blocked the highway. "I was waiting for a bus on the expressway when the protesters in their numbers blocked the highway and harassed motorists. But as they became violent, the police fired live shots, killing the young man. Everybody took off on seeing the man fall," she narrated.
The police also had another encounter with protesters at the Eagles Square, Three Arms Zone, located a few metres from the Presidential Villa. A group of protesters converged on the Eagles Square, chanting the old “Arise, O Compatriots” national anthem and demanding an end to bad governance in the country. In response, the security operatives fired a couple of teargas canisters to discourage the protesters, who only shouted back in defiance.
Government Response
Shortly after, the Minister of State for Youth Development, Ayodele Olawande, arrived at the scene and attempted to address the protesters, who shouted him down with chants of “hunger dey.” Olawande called for calm, stating that he wasn’t attempting to shut down the protest but to encourage them to be civil. “I’m not here to fight you, I’m not here to ask you not to protest, it is your right. Like I said, I’ve been to over 100-500 protests,” Olawande stated.
However, things quickly escalated upon the minister’s exit as the operatives fired more toxic gas and pepper spray, dislodging the protesters at about 10:30am after first firing warning non-lethal shots at the ground.
Courageously, a female protester confronted the police officers, holding up her baby and daring them to shoot. She told journalists that she showed up at the protest with her baby after bandits killed her husband in Katsina. “I came to protest the hardship in Nigeria and the police are shooting teargas at us. Do they also want to kill my baby? People cannot eat. Things are hard,” the protester, who did not disclose her name, said.
Violence and Vandalism
The protests led to widespread looting and vandalism. In Kano, Governor Abba Yusuf accused the opposition party, All Progressives Congress (APC), of sponsoring thugs who hijacked the protest. The attackers looted government properties, attacked homes with machetes, and targeted private businesses to steal their belongings. They also vandalized the ICT park, set to be inaugurated next week, looting state-of-the-art equipment worth billions of Naira. The Sharia court and Kano State government printing press were also attacked and looted.
In response to the unrest, the state government imposed a 24-hour curfew to restore order.
Losses and Legal Support
The organized private sector (OPS) counted significant losses as banks, ports, and offices shut down. The Federal Government has appealed to protesters, urging for peace and dialogue. Meanwhile, the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) has offered free legal services to those affected by the protests.
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