Anti-Government Protests Erupt Across Nigeria Amid Deepening Economic Crisis
Amid escalating economic hardships, Nigerians have been taking to the streets in nationwide protests, confronting the country’s most severe cost-of-living crisis in a generation that has left 135 million people in poverty.
Authorities, fearing a repeat of the deadly 2020 anti-police brutality protests or a surge of violence akin to the recent unrest in Kenya, have ramped up security in major cities, including Abuja and Lagos.
The government, led by President Bola Tinubu, is on high alert, aiming to prevent widespread unrest in Nigeria – an oil-rich nation where the majority still grapples with poverty. Lagos Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu has called on protest organizers to reconsider their actions, warning that the demonstrations could undo the country’s fragile progress.
Nigerian politicians, often accused of corruption, are among the highest-paid in Africa. Even the president’s wife, whose position isn’t officially recognized by the constitution, benefits from taxpayer-funded luxuries.
On Thursday, security forces opened fire and used tear gas to disperse crowds as protests swept across the nation. Thousands of Nigerians, frustrated by the deepening economic crisis, took to the streets demanding the US-backed President Tinibu resign – with reports confirming that at least two people were killed in Niger state during clashes with security personnel.
In several states, police fired on protesters as the “day of rage” demonstrations spiraled into chaos, with incidents of looting and vandalism. This unrest prompted three governors to declare curfews in a bid to restore order.
Human rights organizations have slammed the excessive use of force by Nigerian police, noting that the protests, which began peacefully, were met with a heavy-handed response. Human Rights Watch criticized the authorities’ actions, arguing that the situation did not justify such an aggressive crackdown.
If you value our journalism…
TMJ News is committed to remaining an independent, reader-funded news platform. A small donation from our valuable readers like you keeps us running so that we can keep our reporting open to all! We’ve launched a fundraising campaign to raise the $10,000 we need to meet our publishing costs this year, and it’d mean the world to us if you’d make a monthly or one-time donation to help. If you value what we publish and agree that our world needs alternative voices like ours in the media, please give what you can today.
Author
Related
Federal Agents Raid Several Top Officials in NYC Mayor Eric Adams’ Administration
Federal investigators seized electronic devices from the homes of several top officials in New York…
Student Activists Seek New Strategies Amid Heightened Measures Against Campus Protests
Since the start of the war in Gaza on October 7, U.S. colleges have heightened…
Turkish Citizens Protest Docking of US Warship in Solidarity with Gaza
Turkish citizens took to the streets of Izmir on Monday night, rallying against the docking…
