The #EndBadGovernance demonstrators are anticipated to resume their protests against bad governance and economic hardship today in the major states of Nigeria.
Today is the second day of the “#10daysofrage” event, as the protest organizers have dubbed it.
THE NEWS CHRONICLES reported on Thursday, the day the peaceful protest started, how it progressively descended into violence in states including Kano, Gombe, Yobe, Abuja, and Niger.
However, the majority of the nation’s southeastern states and some areas like Ekiti did not record any demonstrations.
In states where the protests turned violent on Thursday, a number of homes were destroyed and businesses were forced to close, while in Suleja, Niger State, police used tear gas to scatter protestors, at least one protestor was confirmed dead.
Similar to this, the police’s indiscriminate use of tear gas to keep protestors away from the famous Eagle Square site in Abuja’s Three Arms Zone led to the protests there turning violent.
The demonstration in the states of Kano and Gombe turned violent when some young people invaded establishments, stole goods, and looted a government facility that had not yet been put into service while brandishing hazardous weapons.
On Thursday, numerous individuals suffered injuries, and some police officers singled out journalists for arrest in Abuja, where they arrested at least two of them. One of the journalists had his phone confiscated after he was physically assaulted while identifying to be a journalist.
Katsina Police impose curfew, arrest 50
The Katsina State Police Command has imposed a 24-hour curfew in the Dutsinma Local Government Area and a 7 pm to 7 am curfew throughout the remainder of the state.
The order, which is operative immediately, also outlaws protests of any kind inside the state.
The spokesperson for the Command, ASP Abubakar Sadiq Aliyu, justified the decision by stating that it was necessary to protect public safety and stop additional acts of destruction, looting, and violence.
He said that more than fifty individuals have been detained in relation to the vandalism of both public and private assets, and the police have promised to capture all those responsible.
The rumor of police brutality and fatalities was refuted by ASP Sadiq, who said, “As of the time of these reports, there is no record of any fatalities resulting from police actions.” In the statement, he stressed that the command officers handled the violent demonstrators with the utmost professionalism and tolerance.
The Command exhorted young people to reject peer temptation to engage in violent activities and pleaded with parents and guardians to keep an eye on their kids. They threatened to impose harsh penalties on those who disobeyed the curfew.
ASP Sadiq issued a warning, stating that anyone found to be in violation of the curfew will face harsh consequences. The command, in cooperation with sister security organizations, will be patrolling the area on a daily basis to guarantee complete compliance with the curfew.
