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No fewer than 17 persons were feared killed in Abuja, Kano, Niger, Borno, Kaduna, and Jigawa on Day 1 of the #Endbadgovernance protest which was held across the country.
One person was shot dead in Abuja and Kano, two were killed in Jigawa, six others were reportedly gunned down by security forces in Niger, while four died in Borno and three in Kaduna.
The rally began peacefully but took a violent turn in some cities leading to violent confrontations between the police and the protesters.
Businesses, banks, shopping plazas, and some markets did not open for fear of the protests escalating into a crisis.
In Abuja, the demonstration claimed a victim, who was shot dead along the Kubwa expressway.
An eyewitness, who identified herself as Ekaete, said the man, whose identity could not be immediately confirmed, was gunned down after the protesters became violent and blocked the highway.
‘’I was waiting for a bus on the expressway when the protesters in their numbers blocked the highway and harassed motorists. But as they became violent, the police fired live shots, killing the young man. Everybody took off on seeing the man fall,’’ she narrated.
The police also had another encounter with protesters at the Eagles Square, Three Arms Zone, located a few meters from the Presidential Villa.
A group of protesters converged on the Eagles Square, chanting the old “Arise, O Compatriots” national anthem and demanding an end to bad governance in the country.
In response, the security operatives fired a couple of teargas canisters to discourage the protesters, who only shouted back in defiance.
Shortly after, the Minister of State for Youth Development, Ayodele Olawande, arrived at the scene and attempted to address the protesters, who shouted him down with chants of “hunger dey.”
However, he called for calm, stating that he wasn’t attempting to shut down the protest but to encourage them to be civil.
“I’m not here to fight you, I’m not here to ask you not to protest, it is your right. Like I said, I’ve been to over 100-500 protests,’’ Olawande stated.
But things quickly escalated upon the minister’s exit as the operatives fired more toxic gas and pepper spray, dislodging the protesters at about 10:30 am after first firing warning non-lethal shots at the ground.
Courageously, a female protester confronted the police officers, holding up her baby and daring them to shoot.
She told journalists that she showed up at the protest with her baby after bandits killed her husband in Katsina.
“I came to protest the hardship in Nigeria and the police are shooting teargas at us. Do they also want to kill my baby? People cannot eat. Things are hard,” the protester, who did not disclose her name, said.
The policemen in a helicopter also fired teargas at a group of protesters occupying the city gate.
Some protesters had earlier gathered at the Moshood Abiola National Stadium as early as 6 am, in compliance with a court order earlier obtained by the FCT administration on Wednesday, restricting them to the stadium.