Police on Thursday used teargas to disperse demonstrators and arrested journalists during the first day of a 10-day #EndBadGovernance protest over the rising cost of living.
Police teargas protesters at Eagle Square
Hundreds of protesters who converged on the popular Eagle Square in Abuja, the nation’s capital, were dispersed with teargas fired by the police.
The police, who were led by the Commissioner of Police in the FCT, Benneth Igweh, stated that they were enforcing the court order, which restricted protesters to Moshood Abiola Stadium.
Our reporter, who monitored the development, observed how some protesters fled to different directions while some protesters were unbothered when the operatives fired the teargas.
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It was gathered that the CP later called for reinforcement to chase away the protesters. One of the teargas canisters hit a reporter with the News Central Television.
Similarly, our reporter, who drove along Nyanya, Mararaba road saw how security forces fired teargas to disperse protesters in the axis but the protesters continued their demonstration.
A Federal Capital Territory High Court in Abuja had on Wednesday barred protesters from marching on the streets of the nation’s capital.
Ruling in an ex-parte application brought before him by FCT Minister, Nyesom Wike, Justice Sylvanus Chinedu Oriji, restricted participants in the proposed #EndBadGovernance protest from the streets.
Police shoot teargas in Maiduguri
A group of protesters went berserk at the Bulunkutu area, in Maiduguri, Borno State Capital as the police officers used teargas against them.
Gunshots were also heard.
Fighter jets hovered in the sky as the protesters headed to the Government House to register their grievances to the state governor, Prof Babagana Umara Zulum.
One of the protesters who gave his name as Muhammad, said they would not be deterred by the teargas, or even gunshots while exercising their constitutional right to protest.
Sources from the security said the security measures taken were to guide the protesters and prevent the infiltration of Boko Haram.
Police tear gas protesters in Bauchi
Contrary to the claim by the Bauchi State government that no protest will take place in the state, hundreds of the #EndBadGovenernce protesters took to the streets carrying leaves and placards with various inscriptions calling for reversal of the fuel subsidy, end of bad governance, availability of food among other demands.
The protesters converged beside the Abubakar Tafawa Balewa Stadium close to the Wunti gate in the Bauchi metropolis, commenced the peaceful demonstration as they moved to Kobi Street leading to the Emir’s palace road where the security agents comprising of Police, NSCDC, soldiers and other uniformed security personnel attempted to disperse them with teargas canisters. The incident nearly turned violent as the youth clashed with the security personnel that tried to stop them from moving further.
The protesters who had moved closer to the Emir’s palace reacted to the use of the teargas canister by burning tyres and vandalising government billboards.
The protesters met a brick wall of heavy security personnel at the CBN roundabout who fired lots of tear gas that prevented them from reaching the Government House. They were dispersed from the area.
The protest paralysed commercial activities in the state capital as commercial banks shut their offices, while major markets of Wunti and Central were deserted due to the concentration of the protesters along the roads linking to the markets.
Police disperse protesters, clear blocked Kaduna-Zaria expressway
The police have fired teargas to disperse protesters who blocked the Kaduna-Zaria expressway on Thursday.
The protesters had earlier blocked the Gwargwaje junction of the road in Zaria, causing a traffic gridlock of trucks traveling to Kano.
The police, who tried to convince the youth to allow free vehicular movement, were pelted, a situation that prompted the security officers to fire teargas to repel them.
Protesters dispersed at Lekki tollgate
Fierce looking Anti-Riot Policemen, on Thursday, dispersed scores of protesters at the Lekki tollgate, Lagos.
Scores of angry youths had barely started to converge around Lekki tollgate around 10am, preparatory to the commencement of the nationwide hunger protest when suddenly the Anti-Riot Policemen stormed the place and started firing several teargas canisters into the air.
Minutes later, the entire atmosphere was filled with suffocating gas, forcing the youths to flee from the area.
Similarly, armed Anti-Riot Policemen and some regular police officers from Lagos State Police Command took over the Freedom Park in Ojota and Peace Park in Ketu venue of the hunger protest organised by some youths in the wee hours.
Journalists, activists arrested, beaten in Calabar
A handful of journalists and activists have been beaten up, handcuffed and taken by security agents to unknown destinations.
Mr Jonathan Igbal, the managing editor of an online newspaper, CrossRiverWatch, is one of the known journalists.
They were taken by security personnel alongside other activists early Thursday morning to an undisclosed destination.
The journalists followed some activists around the popular Mary Slessor circle in Calabar where a handful of them had gathered to mark the first day of the 10-day planned protest against alleged bad governance.
Names of other activists arrested were not immediately known.
Monitoring the protest, Ugbal had posted a video in the morning which showed that the surrounding roads to the Mary Slessor roundabout had been deserted.
Reacting, Barrister James Ibor, a human rights activist said the arrest and torture of the activists and journalists were condemnable and reprehensible.
He alleged that the security agents who tortured the journalists came in four Hilux vehicles and SUVs, heavily armed.
Thugs attack journalists in Delta
Delta State investigative journalist Prince Amour Udemude and Asaba correspondents Matthew Ochei and Monday Osayande of Punch and Guardian Newspapers were attacked by suspected anti-protesters while covering the #HungerProtest at Inter-Bua Roundabout in Asaba, Delta State capital.
The incident unfolded on Thursday, August 1, 2024, when thugs disrupted the #NationwideBadGovernance protests.
The protests, initially peaceful, turned violent as the thugs began harassing journalists and protesters.
Sources who do not want his name on print media said, “Amour was targeted while recording the events. The leader of the thugs grabbed him by his jeans, and others joined in manhandling the investigative journalist, demanding his phone. Similar assaults were carried out on Matthew Ochei and Osayande, while security personnel from the Delta State Police Command stood by, failing to intervene.
“The Pointer reporter, Mrs. Lucy Ezeliora managed to escape after being slapped and sought help from nearby military officers.
“The situation was eventually brought under control by an Army personnel who rescued Amour and the other two journalists,” he added.
By Idowu Isamotu (Abuja), Hamisu Kabir Matazu (Maiduguri), Eugene Agha (Lagos), Eyo Charles (Calabar), Kelvin Meluwa (Asaba), Hassan Ibrahim, Ahmed Mohammed (Bauchi) & Abubakar Sadiq Mohd, Zaria
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