The hunger protest by Nigerians turned violent yesterday, with many killed, property burnt and business activities grounded while several highways were blocked.
The #EndBadGovernance protests turned violent in major cities such as Kano, Gombe, Yobe, Borno, Niger, Kebbi, Abuja and other towns, mainly in the North.
In some cases, the violence was caused by the actions of security officials, while in others, the violence occurred due to the actions of some overzealous protesters or counter-protesters.
A stray bullet from a policeman near Yauri River killed a businessman in his shop in Yauri Local Government Area of Kebbi State.
Our source, Malam Umar Bako Yelwa, said the protest became violent when protesters blocked the federal highway in Yauri town.
In Kaduna, the peaceful protest turned violent on Thursday, leaving no fewer than three youth dead and many other protesters injured.
Eyewitnesses said the protesters, mostly youths and the unemployed, outnumbered the security operatives and marched from the Rigasa area and the Abakwa end towards the Sir Kashim Ibrahim House, the official residence of the governor.
Also, in Niger state, one person was killed while the infiltration of Boko Haram fighters in the Borno state protest led to the killing of four people, raising the number of people killed as of the time of filing this report to nine.
The Borno Police Command alleged that Boko Haram elements infiltrated protesters along Baga Road in Maiduguri, killing four persons, while 34 others sustained various degrees of injuries.
The Police Commissioner (CP), Yusuf Lawal, said the police swiftly deployed the Explosive Ordnance Device Squad (EOD), Base 13, which combed the scene and rendered the area around a filling station safe.
Lawal said that the injured persons and corpses were evacuated to Specialist Hospital, Maiduguri.
Lawal, who spoke on police declaration of a 24-hour curfew, said many minors, mostly almajiris, between the ages of 9-15, took over the Maiduguri-Kano road vandalising public property.
Also, curfews were imposed on Kano, Yobe, Katsina and other major cities where violence erupted.
In Kano, hoodlums attacked the Digital Industrial Park (DIP) of the Nigerian Communication Commission (NCC) and looted items, including computers, furniture, solar panels and air conditioner split units.
The centre in Kano is meant for the northwest region and is due for commissioning on Wednesday, August 7.
The ICT Park consists of laboratories for ICT innovations and commercial hubs that build capacity for ICT startups and entrepreneurial activities in the zone.
In Abuja, the minister of state for youth development, Ayodele Olawande, shouted down when he tried to address enraged #EndBadGovernance protesters at Eagle Square in Abuja.
The protesters shouted Olawande down and continued to chant “Hunger dey”, disallowing the Minister from speaking to them.
Meanwhile, after calming down the crowd, the minister said he was not attempting to shut down the protest, describing himself as a Comrade who had previously attended between hundreds of protests.
The minister also assured that he would address the police regarding the shooting of teargas canisters against the protesters.
Meanwhile, protesters insisted they would not join their fellow #EndBadGovernance protesters at the Moshood Abiola National Stadium, noting that a few days ago, pro-government women protesters used the Eagle Square without interference from the police.
Also, a pocket of protesters was seen in high spirits outside the Moshood Abiola National Stadium in Abuja. However, they were not allowed into the facility because of the tight security presence, which consisted of both police and military personnel.
Since the protesters were not allowed into the National Stadium, they decided to move to Eagle Square following the information of the teargas canisters fired at their fellow protesters at Eagle Square by the Police.
Police Teargas Protesters At Eagle Square
Police personnel stationed at Eagle Square in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) on Thursday fired teargas in the air to disperse a handful of protesters who gathered around the facility to register their feelings about the state of the nation.
Protesters In the morning blocked the ever-busy Keffi-Abuja highway in a bid to compel the federal government to address the high cost of living and consequent hunger in the country.
The protesters burned tyres on the highway denying motorists access and causing heavy traffic in the process.
They displayed placards with inscriptions such as “Bring back fuel subsidy”, “We are hungry”, and “End bad governance” among others.
Some residents said some cars were burned in the Nyanya area along that highway.
Meanwhile, Lafia, the Nasarawa state capital, was calm with residents going about their normal businesses after the early morning rain.
10 Injured, Property Looted in Jigawa
In Jigawa State, 10 people were reported to have been injured as police used teargas to disperse protesters across the state.
In an unprecedented situation in the history of the state, the protest took place in over 10 major towns across the Jigawa state with reports of destruction and looting of government property.
A report from Hadejia City confirmed that four people were admitted to hospital as a result of injuries and suffocation they suffered from inhaling teargas fired at them by anti-riot police, while agricultural supply stores were looted in the area
In Gumel, the store of the state Agricultural Supply Company (JASCO), the House of the Reps member representing Gumel, Gagarawa, Maigarati, and the house of the APC Zonal vice chairman were vandalised and looted by the protesters who appeared to overpower the security agents deployed in the area.
Yobe Protesters Urge FG to Bring Back Fuel Subsidy
Hundreds of young protesters in Potiskum local government Area of Yobe State urged President Bola Tinubu to reverse the subsidy removal policy.
One of them stated that the protest was to propose solutions to issues bedevilling the nation.
“We are calling for the federal government to bring back fuel subsidy, bring down inflation and insecurity in the nation,” he said.
Protesters Take Over Abuja-Keffi Road
Protesters took over the Abuja-Keffi Road, as security agents faced a herculean task trying to control the rampaging protesters.
The protesters, the majority of whom were Okada riders, stormed the Nyanya axis of the road, chanting ‘ba muayi’, which in Hausa means ‘we are no longer interested’.
The protesters, who wielded dangerous weapons, barricaded the road at various intervals with burning tyres while threatening to burn any vehicle trying to convey passengers out of Nyanya Park.
Rivers Youths Rage Over Governor’s Offer of Bread and Water
In Rivers State, hundreds of #EndBadGovernance protesters Port Harcourt got angry on Thursday after Governor Siminalayi Fubara announced that he would provide funds for ‘bread and water’ for them.
Over 2,000 protesters defied the rain to march from Port Harcourt Pleasure Park, located along Aba Road, to Government House, Port Harcourt, to register their grievances over the hardship being experienced in the country.
But addressing the protesters, mostly young men and women, Fubara said, “Our youths, I know that you are angry; I agree with you that there is hunger. We agree, but because we preach good governance, hunger will disappear very soon. As I said, we are going to support you.”
Abia Streets Calm
Abia State was calm and peaceful, with the people in both Umuahia, the capital, and Aba the commercial city moving about businesses unrestrained, but with caution.
In Bauchi, the protesters requested to see the Emir of Bauchi, Rilwanu Adamu, to express their grievances, but they were denied access.
However, police operatives stationed around the emir’s palace fired tear gas at the protesters and dispersed them.
Similarly, security operatives barricaded the entrance to the Bauchi State Government House after learning that the protesters were making their way to table their complaints to Governor Bala Mohammed.
The protest in Katsina state turned violent, resulting in one death as a police officer was pelted with stones.
The protest, which started peacefully, escalated into chaos as demonstrators began throwing stones, vandalised government and private property, and hauled other objects at security personnel, but the police used gunshots, teargas and hot water to dispense them.
The officers injured are currently receiving medical attention.
The commissioner of police in the state, Aliyu Musa Abubakar, while addressing journalists at the scene, said the protesters did not formally write the command about their protest.
Thugs Attack Lone Protester in Akure
An unidentified man protesting in Akure was attacked by youths suspected to be thugs in Akure, the Ondo State capital.
LEADERSHIP gathered that the man, who was protesting alone, parked his Toyota car by the roadside and put placards at the front and back of the vehicle at the popular NEPA Roundabout in the state capital.
An eyewitness told LEADERSHIP that the man was at the same spot without moving about when the thugs attacked him.
Thousands of youths gathered at the Old Airport roundabout in Jos, Plateau State yesterday where they staged a peaceful protest.
They had earlier gathered at the state secretariat flyover from where they trekked to the Old Airport roundabout.
The protesters carried placards with inscriptions such as, “we deserve Nigeria with security and value for lives”, and “We deserve a Nigeria with good rural and urban roads, a Nigeria where accountability and prudence is a national culture”.
In Taraba state capital, Jalingo, protesters demanded that President Bola Tinubu return fuel subsidy.
The protesters started processing from the Police roundabout located few metres from the Government House.
Benue Youths Shun Protest
Residents of Makurdi, Benue State, shunned the hunger protest yesterday.
LEADERSHIP observed that there was no protest or demonstration in any part of the state while residents were seen going about their normal business activities.
However, some shopping malls and other businesses in strategic places like Benue Crescent and Iyorchia Ayu road were under lock and key.
At motor parks, inter-state commercial vehicles including the state-owned Benue Links vehicles did not have passengers at the parks.
Edo Streets Deserted
Major streets in Benin City, Edo State capital were deserted on Thursday as a result of the “end bad governance” protests. Businesses did not open and many people chose to stay indoors obviously to avoid a repeat of the #EndSARS protest of 2020 that went violent.
Residents of Lokoja, the Kogi state capital, were seen going about their normal daily activities as major roads in the state capital were occupied by security operatives from various agencies.
In Enugu, few people on the platform of Office of the Citizen, Federal Republic of Nigeria, Enugu State chapter, on Thursday joined the nationwide hunger strike.
The protesters took off from the popular Naira Triangle and ended at Okpara Square, Enugu.
Lagos Streets Quiet
As the national protest against hunger and hardship commenced in Lagos State, the Lagos metropolis was devoid of normal hustle and bustle.
Pro-government protesters occupied the Lagos State Government Secretariat located in the Alausa area of the state.
As of the time of filing this report, Ikeja, Ojodu Berger, Ikorodu axis, and many parts of the state looked deserted. Many residents remained indoors, and commercial motorists, motorcycle riders, and Keke Maruwa riders did not show up for business.
CSOs Calls For Protection of Demonstrators
Civil Society Organisations in Nigeria has called on protesters to maintain peace and avoid destroying properties amid growing concerns that criminal elements and political actors with nefarious intentions have hijacked the demonstrations.
In a statement signed by Comrade Auwal Musa Rafsanjani, the CSOs expressed deep concern over the deteriorating security situation and the influence of non-state actors in several states, including Kano.
He said the situation observed through CISLAC’s situation room indicated that security operatives were being influenced by political interference linked to local rivalries, leading to inadequate protection of peaceful protesters.
“The peaceful demonstrations by Nigerians, initially intended to express legitimate grievances, have unfortunately been hijacked and turned into violent chaos.
“Criminal elements are exploiting the protests to create further unrest and undermine public safety,” stated Comrade Rafsanjani.