Nigerian protests about financial woes have turned violent, resulting in curfews enforced by the government in five states, killing at least 17. Abuja, Kano, Niger, Borno, Kaduna, and Jigawa have all reported casualties during the nationwide demonstrations that have taken the form of #EndBadGovernance since Thursday.
To quell anti-government protests, authorities in the states of Borno, Kano, Katsina, Jigawa, and Zamfara imposed 24-hour curfews. “Tear-gassed unruly hoodlums who took over the streets to wreak havoc instead of using live ammunition on peaceful protesters,” stated Nigerian Police spokesman Muyiwa Adejobi. On the first day of the demonstration, more than 300 individuals were taken into custody by the police in Kano, Nasarawa, Katsina, Kaduna, and Abuja.
Thirteen deaths were confirmed by human rights organization Amnesty International, with three occurring in Kaduna, four in Maiduguri, and six in Suleja, Niger State. The group said on X that their “current findings demonstrate that security personnel at the sites where lives were lost intentionally employed tactics designed to kill while dealing with gatherings of people protesting hunger and deep poverty.” “The illegal practice of Nigerian security forces using firearms as a tactical tool to control protests must stop.”
