Protests have been ongoing in Africa’s most populous nation of Nigeria with the protesters all across the country complaining bitterly about their deplorable livelihoods whilst the political class continues to live in opulence amidst the economic hardships experienced by the masses.
On Saturday, August 3, demonstrators gathered at a major stadium in Abuja but police used teargas to disperse them when they attempted to march on a major road into the centre of the city.
“Many Nigerians are feeling the same pains, so I believe they will come out and protest. I will be here till midnight,” said protester Julius Chidiebere before police fired teargas. Dozens of protesters were arrested and driven away in police vans, Reuters journalists said.
Police and the army intensified patrols in Kano State where some protesters attempted to break into a police station near the neighbourhoods of Kurna and Rijiyar Lemo.
Some Nigerians were seen in Kano waving Russian flags amid the nationwide #EndBadGovernance protest calling for an end to economic hardship.
The crowd defied the 24-hour curfew imposed by the state government and marched along Bayero University Road, where the Emir’s palace is located.
Hundreds of mostly underaged youths took to the streets of Kano, urging Russian President Vladimir Putin to intervene in Nigeria.
“We cannot stay at home because we don’t have anything to feed our family—no water, no food, this curfew—that’s why we are out to protest again.
“We are raising the Russian flag because we believe Tinubu is playing his imperial masters’ scripts—the World Bank, the International Monetary Fund (IMF), and the United States of America.”
In the commercial hub of Lagos, more than 1,000 protesters gathered peacefully to denounce economic hardship worsened by President Bola Tinubu’s reforms that started last year with the removal of a popular petrol subsidy and the devaluation of the currency, which sent inflation soaring.
The police arrested dozens of protesters and fired teargas to disperse those trying to march to government offices in the capital Abuja on a third day of demonstrations over a cost-of-living crisis.
In northern Kano state, at least one person was shot in the neck and rushed to hospital, witnesses said.
At least 13 people were killed on Thursday when protests turned violent, Amnesty International said, blaming police for using live rounds.
Police said on Saturday that in the days of protests, seven people had died, but they denied responsibility. Nearly 700 people had been arrested during the protests and nine officers injured, police added in a statement.
Police have sought to confine protesters to the outskirts of major cities to avoid disruptions to business and traffic.
The protest has largely been marred by violence, looting, and destruction of public and private properties in the northern part of the country. At least 14 people have been reported dead.
Organizers have labelled the nationwide demonstration as ’10 Days of Rage’.
In Kano, northern Nigeria’s commercial nerve centre, pictures on social media showed protesters waving Russian flags as they marched through the city.
Russia has in recent years expanded its influence in Africa more than any other external actor.
Russian engagements extend from deepening ties in North Africa and spreading its reach in the Central African Republic and the Sahel.
One of the demands on the placards raised by a protester in Kano read “End insecurity”.
Earlier this year, Russian military instructors arrived in the Niger Republic to train the West African nation’s army.
The deal was part of an agreement between both countries to increase cooperation as the West African country, one of the poorest in the world grapples with jihadist rebellions.
Other French nations in the Sahel battling extreme terrorism have also turned to Russia for military assistance in the face of growing dissent against the West.
Analysts say northern Nigeria’s deep historical ties with neighbouring Sahelian countries worsened by porous borders have paved the way for Russian influence.
For 16 years, Nigeria has battled the Boko Haram insurgency, which has claimed millions of lives and displaced hundreds of thousands in the north-east region. While the army says it has significantly subdued the terrorists, citizens argue that efforts to eliminate the armed group can be improved.
In June, a report claimed there is evidence that jihadi fighters from the Sahel region crossed into Nigeria through the Benin Republic border.
Source: Reuters, The Cable Nigeria, GAT
