As many as seven people have died, according to reports, after clashes between Nigerian security personnel and citizens on the first day of a weeklong nationwide protest against “bad governance” and a cost living crisis.
Daily Trust reported that six people were killed on Thursday during clashes with police during an attempt to dislodge a roadblock protesters had installed in Minna,Niger State.
One person was killed and another critically wounded by stray bullets fired by police in Kano, where another set of protesters breached the seat of government in the city.
In Abuja, the capital, police fired teargas at demonstrators. Elsewhere, hundreds of people came out in force across Kaduna and Katsina in the north, and Lagos and Yenagoa in the south, in the “#EndBadGovernance” protests.
Security personnel and armoured trucks were deployed in many cities and towns. In Lagos, where many businesses were closed for the day, one middle-aged woman carried an empty pot, drumming and chanting as she followed younger marchers.
The catalyst for mass action nationwide was the hike in everyday commodities owing to multiple policy changes, in particular the removal of a popular but controversial fuel subsidy. That has caused hunger for millions and squeezed more people out of Nigeria’s thinning middle class, forcing youth groups to mobilise for mass action.
The protests began a few days before schedule in Niger state, despite being planned for Thursday. Analysts say the change in timing and the fact they began in the north, where for decades protests against socioeconomic conditions have been slower to catch up, indicates the depth of frustration in the country
