Tension was palpable in parts of Nigeria on Thursday as the much-touted #EndBadGovernance protests finally took place in almost all the 36 states of the Federation and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Abuja.
In a bid to curb the looting, violence and other after-effects of the protests, the Kano, Borno, Yobe, Katsina and Nasarawa state governments imposed curfews in volatile local government areas (LGAs) in their states.
While Kano and Borno state governments imposed 24-hour state-wide curfews, Yobe restricted movement in three LGAs, and Nasarawa imposed movement in one charged LGA. On its part, the Katsina government imposed a 24-hour curfew in Dutsin-Ma LGA and 12-hour curfew in the remaining 33 LGAs.
Protesters Brave Odds
Propagated on social media, the nationwide protests against economic hardship started on Thursday, August 1, 2024, and have been scheduled to stretch till August 10 across all states of the Federation as well as the nation’s capital Abuja.
Prices of food and basic commodities have gone through the roof in the last months, as Nigerians battle one of the country’s worst inflation rates and economic crises sparked by the government’s twin policies of petrol subsidy removal and unification of forex windows.
The police, military and the Department of State Services had warned against Kenya-styled protests. Politicians, who surmised that the planned rallies might end up like the EndSARS demonstrations of October 2020, have continued to appeal to youths to shelve the rallies but the young people have been unfazed.
Defiant, they filed out on Thursday morning in different states across the Federation. First in trickles, then they regrouped themselves, enlarged their tents and soldiered on chanting solidarity songs with placards and banners that had different inscriptions conspicuously emblazoned on them.
From Port Harcourt to Potiskum. From Eagle Square to MKO Abiola Park. From the iconic Lekki Tollgate to the eponymous Gani Fawehinmi Park symbolic of civil protests. They poured out. From the southern and northern regions of the country. Young and old. Male and female. Religious differences and ethnic affinities temporarily set aside. They braved the odds and tabled their demands.
Some of the demands of the protesters include the restoration of petrol subsidies and the forex regime. They also want the government to address food shortages, unemployment and wasteful spending by those in power. Other demands are immediate reforms of the electoral umpire INEC and anti-graft agency EFCC with renewed vigour in the fight against corrupt politicians.
Police Tear-Gas Youths, Activists Kick
As the protests gained momentum away from the initial lethargy and hesitation of the participants, policemen were seen dispersing the demonstrators, mostly youths, using tear gas, even as civil society organisations (CSOs) condemned the action of the police.
Human rights lawyer Ebun-Olu Adegboruwa berated security agents for “provoking” peaceful protesters across the country.
In a statement, the lawyer to one of the organisers of the protests The Take It Back Movement, warned that confrontation by security agents could escalate the protests and cautioned the men in uniform to be professional.
“The situation has so far been largely peaceful, especially in Lagos and Abuja.
Pockets of skirmishes in some parts of the nation were said to be due mainly to the provocation of the security agencies. Notwithstanding that, the protests were largely successful, well coordinated and on target.”
He said the “government should urgently identify and hold accountable any police or law enforcement officer that may have been found culpable to violate the rights of the peaceful protesters, especially in locations where it has been reported that protesters were wounded and shot dead”.
Also, CSO leader Olawale Okunniyi of the United Action Front of Civil Society
Organised Civil Society knocked the police for tear-gassing “defenceless protesters” in Lagos, Abuja, Kaduna, Bauchi, and other states in the country.
He said three peaceful protesters tear-gassed by the police fainted in Abuja with many others injured.
One of the lawyers of the protesters Deji Adeyanju also accused the police of frustrating and harassing peaceful protesters in Abuja.
The protests turned awry in some states when hoodlums took advantage of the demonstrations to loot and maim, Some of the flashpoint states are Kano, Borno, Yobe, Katsina and Nasarawa.
Kano Looting
Hoodlums who took advantage of the demonstrations looted the newly built Nigeria Communication Commission (NCC) Industrial Park in Kano. The ICT centre, scheduled for commissioning next week, was thereafter set ablaze. A forlorn-looking Communications Minister Bosun Tijani condemned the attack, lamenting that hundreds of millions were lost in the unrest.
Police tear-gassed the protesters as the demonstrations escalated. The unrest in Kano saw not only the NCC Industrial Park targeted but also parts of the Audu Bako Secretariat, including the state high courts, looted and set on fire. Other establishments, such as supermarkets and mosques, were also attacked by the rioting youths.
In response to the escalating violence, Kano State Governor Abba Yusuf declared a 24-hour curfew.
“We are deeply concerned by the turn of events and are taking all necessary measures to restore order. I urge all residents to remain indoors as security agencies work to enforce the curfew,” Governor Yusuf said.
Borno Bombing
In faraway Borno State in Nigeria’s northeast geopolitical zone, 19 people were killed and several others critically injured when an improvised explosive device (IED) was detonated in the Kawuri area of the state.
The police, in collaboration with other security agencies, immediately imposed a 24-hour curfew.
“In line with our constitutional mandate towards the restoration of law and order, His Excellency, the Executive Governor of Borno State, Prof. Babagana Umar Zulum, in consultation with heads of security in the state, finds it expedient to declare a 24-hour curfew in the state with immediate effect,” the authorities said.
Yobe Arson
Also in the northeast zone, seven mass transit buses were burnt in Potiskum, the headquarters of Potiskum Local Government Area of Yobe State amid the #EndBadGovernance nationwide protests on Thursday.
The buses were set ablaze on the premises of the local government secretariat in Potiskum on Thursday.
The state government imposed a 24-hour curfew in Potiskum, Gashua, and Nguru towns where some hoodlums are taking advantage of the protest to vandalise and loot government and private properties.
Dairy Abdulsalam, the Special Adviser to Governor Mai Mala Buni on Security Matters, urged the general public to abide by the curfew order and stay at home for peace to reign in the affected areas and the state at large.
According to him, the security agencies have been directed to ensure enforcement and full compliance with the curfew order.
Nasarawa Mayhem
The situation was not different in Nasarawa State in northcentral Nigeria where a dusk-to-dawn curfew was imposed in the Karu Local Government Area (LGA) after the #EndBadGovernance protests turned violent.
Just like Kano, Borno and Yobe states, the government declared curfew following the destruction, looting, stealing, highway blockade, and vandalism that trailed the demonstration in the Mararraba area, the border between Nasarawa State and the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja.
The media aide to the Karu LGA Chairman, Danbaba Magaji, disclosed this in a statement on Thursday.
“The Executive Chairman of Karu Local Government Council, James Thomas, after due consideration, has imposed a curfew across Karu LGA from 6 pm to 6 am from today until further notice,” the statement read.
IGP Puts Men On Red Alert
Meanwhile, the Inspector General of Police (IGP), Kayode Egbetokun, immediately placed his men on red alert across the Federation. He said a policeman was murdered while on duty, others injured and police stations razed.
He lamented that events in major cities on Thursday were “mass uprising and looting, not protests”.
“Police stations have been destroyed. There have been attempts to take over government houses,” Egbetokun said at a press briefing in Abuja, adding that looting of public and private warehouses and facilities was widespread.
“In places like FCT, Kaduna, Kano and Gombe, among others, we recorded incidents of unprovoked attacks on our security personnel where one policeman has been reported murdered and others seriously injured.
“In light of the current situation, the Nigeria Police Force has placed all units on red alert. Our officers are fully mobilised and prepared to respond swiftly and decisively to public safety and order,” the IGP said.
Will Protests Continue Friday?
Activist Deji Adeyanju challenged the IGP to name the policeman he claimed was killed. He said it was not true that a cop was killed.
“The looting that happened were by government thugs,” the lawyer alleged. “I didn’t know that the police can suddenly be on red alert over protests. There is no red alert over insecurity in the country.”
Asked whether he would return to the streets on Friday to continue the protests despite Adegboruwa’s plea that the protests be reduced to one day, Adeyanju said, “Yes, of course, because the idea is to to ensure that the rights of Nigerians are not violated.” (Channels)
