~by Ola Williams
As many as seven people have reportedly died following clashes between Nigerian security personnel and citizens on the first day of a weeklong nationwide protest against “bad governance” and the cost of living crisis.
According to the newspaper Daily Trust, six people were killed on Thursday during clashes with police attempting to dismantle a roadblock set up by protesters in Minna, the capital of Niger state.
In Kano, one person was killed and another critically wounded by stray bullets fired by police as protesters breached the city’s seat of government.
In Abuja, the capital, police fired teargas at demonstrators. Hundreds of people also took to the streets in Kaduna and Katsina in the north, and Lagos and Yenagoa in the south, as part of the “#EndBadGovernance” protests.
Security personnel and armored trucks were deployed in many cities and towns. In Lagos, where many businesses were closed for the day, a middle-aged woman carried an empty pot, drumming and chanting as she followed younger marchers.
The catalyst for the nationwide protests was the hike in everyday commodities, largely due to multiple policy changes, including the removal of a popular but controversial fuel subsidy.
This has caused hunger for millions and squeezed more people out of Nigeria’s thinning middle class, prompting youth groups to mobilize for mass action.
