As feared, Nigeria witnessed bloodshed, destruction of properties and looting on Day 1 of the #EndBadGovernanceInNigeria nationwide protest.
As the day winds down, The Nigerian Economy brings you comprehensive reports of the hunger protest across the country.
ABUJA
FCT sees chaos as police, protesters in rat race
Protesters on Thursday marched on a major road in Kugbo, Asokoro in Abuja Municipal Council Area (AMAC).
In their hundreds, the protesters who are refused to retreat despite gunshots and teargas fired by security operatives.
A Federal High Court in Abuja had restricted protesters to Moshood Abiola Stadium. But while some of them proceeded to the stadium, others assembled at various spots across the nation’s capital.
Security operatives had a tough time controlling the crowd of young persons who are insisting that they would remain on the streets until their demands on an improved economy are met.
Protesters at the entrance of the MKO Abiola stadium were told by the police to go inside the stadium. They refused and instead commenced a march towards Eagle Square, close to the Three Arms Zone.
According to a Premium Times report, as soon as the protesters approached Eagle Square, chaos ensued. The police stationed at strategic points took up tactical positions around the protesters and fired tear gas at them.
However, instead of dispersing, the protesters are regrouping. Many protesters have regrouped around the Ministry of Finance, blocking Ahmadu Bello Way and pushing back towards the police. Many people were injured, and police specifically targeted journalists and arrested at least two of them, including a PREMIUM TIMES journalist whose phone was seized after he was beaten despite identifying himself as a journalist.
The police also used tear gas to disperse another set of protesters at the NYSC junction in Kubwa.
LAGOS
Peaceful protest in Lagos
Police officials have reported that the demonstrations have largely remained peaceful in Lagos State.
The Lagos State Commissioner of Police, Adegoke Fayoade, expressed satisfaction with how protesters conducted themselves during the rallies.
He noted that most participants were orderly and law-abiding, which contributed to a relatively calm atmosphere despite the underlying tensions related to economic grievances.
Fayoade emphasized the importance of maintaining peace during these protests, stating that the police are present to protect both the demonstrators and public order. He encouraged protesters to continue their activities in an organized manner while assuring them of police protection as long as they adhered to peaceful conduct.
Despite some resistance from security forces who urged protesters to limit their activities to designated areas like Freedom Park, many demonstrators chose to march along major roads. This defiance highlights the determination of protest leaders and participants to express their discontent over rising living costs and government policies.
NIGER
6 killed in Suleja
At least six people were reportedly killed while others sustained injuries in the ongoing protest in Suleja, Niger State.
The victims were said to have been killed while security operatives were struggling to dislodge a group of protesters who mounted barricade on a section of Abuja-Kaduna highway.
Some policemen who were around the barricade could not control the youths who outnumbered them.
However, a reinforcement team was sent to the scene where pandemonium occurred.
Spokesperson of the Niger State Police Command, SP Wasiu Abiodun, said some hoodlums also attempted to set the Tafa LGA ablaze but they were dispersed by security operatives.
KANO
NCC property looted, set ablaze; Gov effects curfew
Protests began in Kano on a peaceful note, but later turned awfully awry as young men vandalised government and private assets in various parts of the city.
A group of protesters attempted to force its way into the Government House, but were met with resistance. Security men shot teargas to disperse the mob.
A Nigeria Communication Commission (NCC) multi-million naira property which was scheduled to be launhed next week was vandalised, looted and set on fire.
The Kano State High Court also suffered vandalism as vehicles parked in the court premises were broken, looted and set on fire, while offices of some High Court judges were destroyed.
The state governor had already announced a 24-hour curfew in the state effective from Thursday evening.
KATSINA
Deaths, looting in Katsina
The protests in Katsina State turned violent on Thursday as some hoodlums looted properties.
Several persons were said to have died after alleged miscreants reportedly hijacked the protest, looting various shops and vandalising property belonging to the residents.
This happened before the protesters arrived at the destination of their planned demonstrations.
Some security personnel were forced to fire several gunshots at the protesting youths to maintain law and order which in turn, dispersed the aggrieved protesters.
Some of the victims including police officers and a DPO, were given various medical treatments at a clinic the Katsina State Government House.
JIGAWA
2 die; APC headquarters burnt; lawmaker escapes death
In Jigawa State, at least two persons were reported dead, while the state headquarters of APC was burnt.
A member of the House of Representatives representing Gumel, Gagarawa and Maigarati, Hon Sani Nazifi escaped the wrath of angry constituents on Thursday when they stormed his residence to vent their anger over hunger during the protest against bad governance on Thursday.
They also stormed the residence of the APC Zonal Vice Chairman but met his absence as he had reportedly escaped before the mob arrived.
Nazifi who’s a member of the ruling All Progressives Congress or APC had reportedly escaped before the angry mob got to his residence.
The angry protesters then turned their anger on the APC where in their large numbers, burnt down the headquarters of the party in the state.
According to a Whistler report protest started in Jigawa peacefully despite repeated pleas from the state government and federal officials, who stormed the state ahead of the protest to distribute relief materials and hand out cash and bags of rice to dissuade them from protesting until it degenerated into violence.
Reports said the youth were angry that there were no government officials to address them and decided to march to the secretariat of the APC where they set it on fire.
They also destroyed billboards and other publicity materials before burning down the building located in the state capital Dutse.
Vehicles parked within the premises were also burnt as the protests degenerated into violence, spreading to some other parts of the state.
Another report said hoodlums infiltrated peaceful protesters forcing the police to fire teargas canisters to disperse them but failed.
It reportedly led to the deaths of two people while over 10 persons were injured.
Four people were confirmed to have been admitted at a hospital as a result of injuries and suffocation they suffered from teargas fired at them by Anti-Riot Policemen.
Despite the presence and actions of the police, the situation became uncontrollable as armed youths broke loose overwhelming them, attacking innocent residents in the process.
The armed youth went berserk and stormed Birnin Kudu, where the State Fertilizer and Grains Stores are located, looting and vandalising them.
The store of the state Agricultural Supply Company (JASCO) in Gumel was also not spared as it was looted and vandalised.
ADAMAWA
Pro-government prosters in Yola
A senior media aid to President Bola Tinubu, Bayo Onanuga via his X page on Thursday tweeted about a crowd of pro-government protesters. He shared a video of the protesters who carried placards with various pro-Tinubu inscriptions.
However, there were reports of pro-government protesters abandoning their paymasters and joining the #EndBadGovernanceInNigeria protest.
Also, in a video that trended on social media on Thursday, a woman who spoke in Hausa complained about how she and her group were deceived into protesting for the government. The woman said they were told to come for some food stuffs, but only to be later used as pro-government protesters.
DELTA
Tension in Delta
Warri, Delta State, was under tension as protests rocked the city forcing banks to abruptly shut down operations.
The protesters besieged the entrance of the United Bank for Africa and Union Bank for Africa located near Main Market, Warri, as they burnt tyres along the ever-busy roads to register their frustration, causing heavy gridlock.
The protesters, mainly market women, youths and elders had barricaded major roads in protest over the hardship caused by the scarcity of the new naira notes as well as the hike in petrol prices.
Some of the roads barricaded include the Warri-Sapele Road and NPA Expressway. The protesters marched to the Delta State Rainbow Television, Edjeba, to register their grievances.
The peaceful protesters, bearing placards and chanting “our fish dey spoil, our food dey rotten,” said they found it difficult to make withdrawals from their bank accounts.
They said they were unable to sell their goods in the past few days due to the cashless policy of the Central Bank of Nigeria and the scarcity of the redesigned naira notes.
SOUTH-EAST
Sit-at-home prevails
States in the South Eastern part of Nigeria observed Sit-at-home protest. The roads and streets of all the states in the South East were empty.
The development prompted Senator Shehu Sani to ask why the Igbos did not protest despite supporting the protest.
Sani, while reacting to the #EndBadGovernanceInNigeria protest on his X handle tweeted: “Why did the South East refused to protest when many south easterners were supporting the protest? Why did the Northerners refuse to protest against Yar’adua and Buhari and they protested against GEJ and BAT?
Why did the South Westerners always protest against All the Presidents”.
SOUTH-WEST
Low turn out of protesters
In other states in the South-west, the protest did not attract a good number of people. In Ondo, a lone protester was reportedly beaten up by a pro-governmnet group.
In Oyo, a lady led a group of protesters who walked on the road with placards and making their demands known via inscriptions on their placards.
