The #EndBadGovernment train suffered a temporary setback at the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja on Friday morning when a detachment of fully armed men of the Nigerian Police Force dispersed a group of protesters around the popular Berger Bridge in Abuja. The protesters were chanting: “Hunger dey oo, hunger dey oo” (There’s hunger, there’s hunger), before
The #EndBadGovernment train suffered a temporary setback at the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja on Friday morning when a detachment of fully armed men of the Nigerian Police Force dispersed a group of protesters around the popular Berger Bridge in Abuja.
The protesters were chanting: “Hunger dey oo, hunger dey oo” (There’s hunger, there’s hunger), before the battle-ready policemen fired teargas canisters to disperse them. Some passers-by and motorists, who were caught off-guard, could be heard accusing the Police of high-handedness.
The protesters later converged at Mararaba,a suburb of the FCT, where the police equally dispersed them. Some protesters along the Kubwa-Zuba expressway were not allowed to be protected by the eagle-eyed policemen.
An Abuja high court had earlier granted an injunction seeking to confine protesters to the MKO Abiola National Stadium. Federal Capital Territory, FCT, Minister, Ezenwo Nyesom Wike, had on Thursday night urged protesters to obey the court order.
But leaders of the protesters said they had not been served with a copy of the said order. It was like a holiday in Abuja on Friday as many residents stayed indoors and the streets were almost deserted.
Katsina State
In Katsina state, chaos eruption Friday morning when a policeman, trying to disperse protesters, accidentally shot his colleague. Witnesses said the chaos began when police started firing teargas and live bullets at protesters, leading to an officer being hit by his colleagues. The injured officer was seen lying in a pool of his blood, surrounded by a crowd.
Kano State
Street urchins and miscreants that hijacked the protest in Kano, Kano state on Monday by looting shops and government offices were prevented from operating on Tuesday, the second day of the protest. Indeed, the police arrested 269 suspects for looting during the rally.
There was a heavy presence of security agents on major streets in the Kano metropolis, thus curtailing the activities of the protesters.
Taraba State
In Jailngo, Taraba state, human and vehicular movements were scanty, but demonstrators chanted in Hausa:” Tinubu -Shettima bamuyi”, meaning: “We don’t want Tinubu and Shettima”.
Twenty-three suspected hoodlums were arrested for vandalizing government offices and looting shops. The protesters, however, relocated and blocked a section of the Kaduna-Zaria-Kano expressway causing a gridlock of trucks traveling to Kano State.
Policemen in Yobe state are pounding the streets to arrest hoodlums that caused mayhem in Potiskum where seven mass transit buses were set ablaze.
The streets of Potiskum were deserted as residents feared they could be arrested for the Thursday curfew.
Borno State
In Borno state, residents are counting their losses following following the tragedy that happened on Thursday when some members of the Book Haram terrorists infiltrated the ranks of the protesters ensuring that a bomb exploded killing some Nigerians. The state government had imposed a curfew on Thursday.
Military Warn Hoodlums, Looters
The military high command on Friday warned looters taking advantage of the #EndBadGovernance nationwide protests to loot government and private property to desist from such acts.
The Chief of Defence Staff (CDS), General Christopher Musa at a press conference in Abuja on the second day of the rallies against economic hardship and high cost of living, said the extent of destruction experienced on the first day of the demonstrations was “crazy”.
According to him, the Armed Forces will take action and would not allow the looting and destruction to fester. He said the Bola Tinubu administration has been in power for one year and the government has been doing its best to boost economic activities.
General Musa said the economic crisis and high cost of living in Nigeria is a global phenomenon urging Nigerians to give the government time to address the challenges.
He said a lot of arrests have been made and culprits will soon be arraigned for prosecution in Court.
His words: “So, we want to call on all Nigerians to understand the government. If you have grievances, which I know people have, a lot of challenges here and there, and it is not only in Nigeria alone; everywhere in the world is facing one economic or security crisis or the other. And so, it is important to understand that we are not alone” adding: “But what we can do is not allow criminals and individuals that have lost out to take advantage of this to destroy our country. We should realise that these destructions, monies have to be used to replace them so that we can move forward.”
