#EndBadGovernance: 17 feared dead, companies count losses

Close to twenty people have so far been reported to have died during #EndBadGovernance nationwide protest in Nigeria. #Endbadgovernance protesters in Abuja, Kano, Niger, Borno, Kaduna, and Jigawa were allegedly shot by security personnel, with  six killed in Niger, four in Borno, three in Kaduna, two died in Jigawa, one person was shot dead in Abuja and Kano and recently a policeman and some protesters were killed by a reckless police driver.

The demonstration started off peacefully but in certain towns took a violent turn, resulting in altercations between demonstrators and police. Companies, banks, malls, and certain markets remained closed due to concerns that the protests would turn into a major catastrophe.

One victim of the protest was shot and killed along the Kubwa road in Abuja. The man, whose identification could not be immediately verified, was shot dead by an eyewitness identified as Ekaete, who claimed that the demonstrators had turned aggressive and had blocked the highway.

"When the protesters in large numbers blocked the highway and harassed motorists, I was waiting for a bus on the expressway." However, the police opened fire with live bullets, killing the young man when they become violent. "Everyone was thrilled to see the man fall," she recounted.

A few meters from the Presidential Villa, in Eagles Square, Three Arms Zone, the police also ran into demonstrators there. Gathering at Eagles Square, the demonstrators chanted the traditional national anthem "Arise, O Compatriots" and called for an end to the nation's poor leadership.

The demonstrators simply retaliated with defiance as the security personnel shot a few tear gas canisters in an attempt to dissuade them. Soon after arriving on the site, Ayodele Olawande, the Minister of State for Youth Development, was yelled down by the demonstrators as they chanted "hunger dey." But he urged everyone to remain calm, saying that his goal was to promote civility rather than to put an end to the demonstration. You have the right to protest; I'm not here to stop you from doing so. I'm not here to fight you. I've attended between 100 and 500 protests, as I mentioned," Olawande remarked.

However, immediately the minister left, the situation swiftly got out of control when the police started shooting, non-lethal rounds at the ground and then additional carnisters and pepper spray, forcing the demonstrators to move.

This happened at around 10:30 am. With bravery, a demonstrator carrying a baby challenged the police officers to fire their weapon. She informed reporters that after her husband was killed by bandits in Katsina, she brought her child to the demonstration. "We are being fired at by the police while I came to express my protests about the suffering in Nigeria." Do they intend to murder my child as well? People are unable to eat. The demonstrator, who remained anonymous, stated, "Things are hard."