On Thursday, August 1, 2024, security forces deployed gunfire and tear gas to disperse mass protests across Nigeria, where thousands of predominantly young people demonstrated against the country’s severe cost-of-living crisis.
Authorities reported four fatalities from a bomb explosion and hundreds of arrests. In Kaduna state, police spokesperson Mansur Hassan confirmed that officers had used tear gas but denied the use of live ammunition against protesters. However, two individuals were reported killed in Niger state during clashes with security forces after blocking a major road, as reported by the local Daily Trust newspaper.
Amnesty International’s Nigeria director, Isa Sanusi, stated that the organization had independently verified 13 deaths through witnesses, victims’ families, and lawyers. Despite these reports, Police Chief Kayode Egbetokun asserted on Friday that his officers had not violated any protesters’ fundamental rights.
Police in Nigeria puts all its units on red alert and sounds out the help of the military after #EndBadGovernanceInNigeria protests turned violent in some cities, leaving at least three people dead, the inspector general of police Kayode Egbetokun says.
Despite evidence that… pic.twitter.com/FHrinEcwPJ
— Kennedy Wandera (@KennedyWandera_) August 2, 2024
Increasing Hardship
The protests began on Thursday in Abuja, the commercial capital Lagos, and several other cities in response to economic reforms that have caused rampant inflation and increased hardship for ordinary Nigerians. Civil rights activist Taiwo Otitolaye told RFI, “Citizens have come out because there is extreme hunger and abject poverty in the country. Households don’t have enough to live on. Families are taking their children out of school, so the first day of this movement is a good thing.”
The “day of rage” saw demonstrations in Maiduguri, despite a heavy security presence. In Kano, Nigeria’s second-largest city, protesters set fire to tires outside the state governor’s office, prompting police to respond with tear gas. Live broadcasts showed some protesters looting warehouses and damaging public property. In response, three governors declared curfews in their states, citing that thugs had hijacked the protests.
Economic Reforms
The protests, inspired by similar movements in Kenya, were tagged #EndbadGovernanceinNigeria. Following his inauguration over a year ago, President Bola Tinubu removed fuel subsidies, devalued the naira, and increased electricity tariffs, leading to inflation soaring past 34 percent. Despite insisting that these changes are necessary to sustain the country, citizens have criticized the government for not making enough sacrifices and have demanded the reinstatement of subsidies, free primary and secondary education, and measures to combat widespread insecurity.
On Wednesday, a bombing suspected to be the work of Boko Haram killed at least 16 people. Previous protests have been led by labor unions, but Thursday’s demonstration was primarily driven by unemployed youth. Although President Tinubu recently signed a new minimum wage into law to help workers cope with the economic hardship, many of Nigeria’s 200 million people remain self-employed or unemployed.
Protest leaders, a coalition of civil society groups, vowed to continue their demonstrations. “It’s not over,” said activist Damilare Adenola, 29, leader of the Take It Back group in Abuja.
