Men of the police force used teargas and live ammunition on Saturday to disperse youth protesting in the Galadimawa area in Abuja.
The protesters, part of the #EndBadGovernance movement, started their march early in the morning.
The demonstration began at 6:30 a.m. from Ebano Supermarket, with protesters marching towards Galadimawa Junction.
The police arrived around 9:30 a.m. and fired teargas and live bullets to break up the protest.
One protester described the situation to Premium times saying, “We started at 6:30 a.m. and were marching towards Galadimawa roundabout when the police came. They didn’t shoot live bullets at us directly, but they fired teargas. When they started shooting guns, we had to run for safety.”
The protester continued, “We are not scared of teargas and arrest. If they hadn’t used live bullets, we would have stayed. We want to live to see the country we are fighting for. Today doesn’t mark the end of our protest. We will continue until our demands are met, especially the reversal of the fuel subsidy removal.”
The nationwide #EndBadGovernance protest began on August 1 and was set to end on August 10. The movement is driven by dissatisfaction with President Bola Tinubu’s economic policies and calls for urgent action to address economic hardship.
Amnesty International reported that over 20 people were killed during the early days of the protests. The demonstrations have faced heavy suppression by police and security agencies, who have been accused of shooting at peaceful protesters and journalists.
President Tinubu addressed the nation on Sunday, urging an end to the protests. Despite his speech, some Nigerians continued their demonstrations, unsatisfied with the government’s response.
