*Police Fire Teargas At Protesters Marching Towards Eagle Square, Abuja
*NBA Sets Up Pro Bono Legal Support Services For Protesters
The nationwide peaceful protests against bad governance commenced today in almost all the states of the federation.
However, according to stories on channels Television, monitored by metrobusinessnews.com (MBN) and other sources, the police (NPF) fired tear gas on Thursday to break up several hundred protesters in the northern city of Kano and in the capital Abuja where demonstrators had joined in nationwide rallies against the high cost of living.
It was further gathered that the incident in Kano turned into violence as the youth torched the new Digital Park built by the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC), carting away equipment including computers and furniture.
Africa’s most populous country is struggling with soaring inflation and a sharply devalued naira after President Bola Ahmed Tinubu ended a costly fuel subsidy and liberalised the currency a year ago to improve the economy.
Tagged #EndbadGovernanceinNigeria, the protest movement won support with an online campaign, but officials had warned against attempts to copy recent violent demonstrations in Kenya, where the government was forced to abandon new taxes.
In Kano, the country’s second largest city, protesters tried to light bonfires outside the state governor’s office and police responded with tear gas, forcing most of the demonstrators back, an AFP correspondent at the scene said.
Several hundred protesters also marched in the Ikeja area of the economic capital, Lagos.
Some of the protesters said they had to sleep under the Oshodi bridge last night to be able to converge this morning for onward trecking to the unkept Gani Fahwhemi Garden Park, enroute Ojota, Alausa
In Abuja, security forces blocked off roads leading to Eagle Square — one of the planned protest sites — while several hundred protesters gathered at the nearby national stadium before marching towards the square.
Security forces later also fired tear gas to disperse crowds in Mararaba on the outskirts of the capital and in its centre, an AFP reporter said.
Many Nigerians are struggling with high costs — food inflation is over 40 percent — and a tripling of fuel prices, but many people were also wary about insecurity around protests.
“Hunger has brought me out to protest,” said 24-year-old demonstrator Asamau Peace Adams outside the National Stadium in Abuja before tear gas was fired. “It’s all down to bad governance.”
Small groups of protesters also gathered in Kano, an AFP correspondent said, before they started to vandalise signposts and try to light fires.
“We are hungry — even the police are hungry, the army are hungry,” said factory worker Jite Omoze, 38.
“I have two children and a wife but I can’t feed them anymore,” he said, calling for the government to reduce fuel prices.
On the eve of the protests, government officials urged young activists to reject rallies and allow time for Tinubu’s reforms to take hold and improve the economy.
Economic Pain
But protest leaders, a loose coalition of civil society groups, vowed to press on with rallies despite what they say were legal challenges trying to limit them to public parks and stadiums instead of marches.
The government on Wednesday listed aid it has offered to alleviate economic pain, including raising the minimum salary levels, delivering grains to states across the country and aid to the most needy.
“The government of President Tinubu recognises the right to peaceful protest, but circumspection and vigilance should be our watch words,” Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF) George Akume told reporters.
The last major protest in Nigeria was in 2020 when young activists rallied against the brutality of the SARS anti-robbery squad in demonstrations that evolved into some of the largest in Nigeria’s modern democracy.
But the rallies ended in bloodshed in Lagos. Rights groups accused the army of opening fire on peaceful protesters, but the military said troops used blanks to break up a crowd defying a curfew. Amnesty International said at least 10 people died.
Nigeria’s protests come after Kenyan President William Ruto was forced to repeal new taxes and name a new cabinet following weeks of anti-government protests in the worst crisis in his almost two years in office.
In Uganda, officials also arrested dozens earlier this month after they took part in banned anti-corruption protests organised online by young activists inspired by Kenya’s rallies.
Police Fire Teargas At Protesters Marching Towards Eagle Square, Abuja
The Police in Abuja have fired tear gas to prevent #endbadgovernance protesters in the nation’s capital from gaining entry into the Eagles Square.
Protesters in their numbers on Thursday shunned an order by the Federal Capital Territory which restricted the protest to the MKO Stadium in the city.
Justice Sylvanus Oriji gave the order on Wednesday while delivering a ruling in an ex-parte application brought before him by the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Nyesom Wike.
The protesters, however, marched to the Eagles Square which they initially planned to use to make their voices heard.
As they approached the venue, the police fired tear gas at them, creating a wall of tear gas smoke, which prevented the crowd from moving forward.
It remains unclear at this time what the protesters will do next.
Some of them who spoke to Channels TV insisted on exercising their rights and condemned the actions of the police.
They also called on the government to meet their demands.
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NBA Sets Up Pro Bono Legal Support Services For Protesters
The Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) has established Legal Support Services Teams across the country to offer free legal services to protesters whose fundamental rights may be breached during the nationwide protests that started Thursday morning.
President of the NBA Yakubu Maikyau (SAN) directed all chairpersons of the 130 branches of the association to ensure that their respective human rights committees take up observed or reported cases of breach of fundamental right (s) of any citizen, harassment, intimidation or torture perpetrated by law enforcement agents, the protesters or other identified members of the public in the course of the protest.
Chairpersons of the NBA branches have also been directed to set up situation monitoring committees to monitor and report activities and interactions between law enforcement agents and protesters.
The NBA has also set up an online monitoring form to be filled out by persons whose rights are breached.
Members of the monitoring committees and other members of the NBA engaged in the monitoring exercise are encouraged to complete the form and submit same for the NBA’s record and further action where necessary.
To ensure effective coordination of this exercise, the NBA’s Legal Support Services Teams across the country will be headed by the 1st Vice President of the association, Mrs. Linda Rose Bala; the Chairman of NBA-SPIDEL, Sir Steve Adehi, SAN; and the Chairman, NBA Human Rights Institute; Mr. Chinonye Obiagwu, SAN.
The NBA President has also written to the Inspector General of Police (IGP) Kayode Egbetokun to collaborate with the NBA in this regard.
The NBA further encouraged citizens, including members of the NBA who are joining the protest to exercise their rights peacefully and within the bounds of the law just as it urged security agencies to be professional and observe human rights in their duty to enforce the law.