NAIJAFEED

Monday, August 5, 2024

Family of killed Nigerian protester demand justice

The family of a 24-year-old tailor, Abubakar Adam Abdullahi, is demanding justice after accusing police of killing him in the northern Nigerian city of Kaduna during nationwide protests against the high cost of living.

Local police deny playing any role in his death, and a spokesman for the governor of Kaduna state says they are not aware of any deaths resulting from protests there.

This is contested by rights group Amnesty International - which says three people have been killed in Kaduna alone.

Speaking on behalf of the family, Abubakar's brother Ismail told the BBC the tailor was shot in the chest by police on Thursday before dying in Yusuf Dantsoho hospital.

"All we want is justice for our brother," says Ismail.

Across Nigeria - in the five days since the demonstrations began - police say at least seven people have been killed, 700 have been arrested, and elite officers have arrested one of the protest leaders.

Despite warnings by President Bola Tinubu, thousands of Nigerians joined the protests - worried about the escalating cost of living, and inspired by the success of young Kenyans whose rallies have won key concessions from government.

The protesters included Abubakar. The youngest of 14 children, he was living at his parents' home in Kaduna with big ambitions for his career, and hoping to start a family of his own.

But rising costs kept pushing that future further from his reach, and he decided to join the protests.

"As a tailor, money for the materials he was using had all gone up - food too - and he also has to pay increased rent. Everyone is affected by this economic crisis," says Ismail.

Video footage filmed at the time of Abubakar's death seems to shows him in a group of young men shouting animatedly at police before trying to run away as if being chased.

According to Abubakar's brother, who has spoken to witnesses, they were close to the office of the governor of Kaduna, Uba Sani, at the time. Abubakar then told his friends he was tired and wanted to go home.

Moments later police opened fire on the protesters, witnesses say.

Video footage then shows Abubakar falling to the ground. His friends can be heard shouting "officer stop" and "they shot him" in the Hausa language.

"It was shocking when we got a call to come to the hospital after he was shot because we know he wasn't violent," Ismail tells the BBC.

He cannot comprehend how this could happen to the kind, caring and hard-working brother he knew.

"We later saw videos of him sitting or talking to friends during the protest which also proved he wasn't misbehaving," he adds.

Kaduna state governor spokesman Mohammed Lawal Shehu says the reason why they have not acknowledged any death from the protest is because they are relying on the police - who say they were no deaths.

"According to the police there wasn’t any death from the protests and we rely on them for information."

Amnesty International is calling for an investigation into the deaths of 23 protesters it says have been killed across the country, including three in Kaduna.

Ismail says his family will not rest until they get answers about his brother's death.

"He was in high spirits when he went out with his friends to the protest. He was concerned by the state of things in the country."

Mansur Abubakar, BBC

Protests in Nigeria fizzle out after deadly police crackdown

Protests in Nigeria over the soaring cost of living ebbed on Monday, with only a few hundred people turning out in major cities following a deadly crackdown by security forces since the demonstrations began last week.

Hundreds of thousands of people have taken to the streets in the capital Abuja, Lagos and other big cities during the protests against economic hardship and crime, which started on Thursday and were meant to continue until Aug. 10.

Amnesty International said at least 13 people have been killed in clashes with police since the start of the protests, which were dubbed "#10DaysOfRage". Police put the death toll at seven, saying some of the fatalities were caused by accidents and an explosive device.

A tough police response and a call for a protest pause by President Bola Tinubu appeared to have dampened the demonstrations, which came weeks after data showed annual inflation hit a 28-year high of 34.19% in June.

In the commercial hub of Lagos, where demonstrations have been largely peaceful, about 100 people gathered at the protest venue singing and chanting "we are hungry". In Abuja, there were no signs of protests at the main stadium where protesters have been gathering since Thursday.

In the north of the country, about 200 protesters were dispersed by armed security forces in Maiduguri, capital of Borno state, while in Katsina, security forces fired teargas at protesters who were chanting "hunger and insecurity are killing us".

Curfews have been imposed in parts of the north, which has seen some of the largest and fiercest protests, and in the central state of Plateau.

On Sunday, Tinubu called for an end to violence and said he was always open to dialogue.

Tinubu, in office since May 2023, defended his economic reforms, which have included a partial end to costly petrol and electricity subsidies and devaluation of the naira, as necessary to reverse years of economic mismanagement.

By Seun Sanni, Reuters

Experts call for a more robust strategy to bridge infrastructure gap in Nigeria

Nigeria's infrastructure budget falls below the World Bank's recommended 70% of GDP, and experts estimate that 3 trillion U.S. dollars is needed over 30 years to bridge this gap.

CGTN

Citizens protest cost of living in Nigeria

The demonstrations continued in Nigeria for a second day. Protesters say they're also demanding better wages and improved governance.

CGTN

President Tinubu calls for end to protests against economic hardship in Nigeria

Nigeria spirals into deadly anti-inflation protests - 13 Killed

In this northern city, the second most populous in Nigeria, protesters have been converging at the city center and making their way to Government House, seat of the state governor.

Thousands of protesters, decrying rampant inflation, chanting anti-hardship songs, and carrying placards with strident messages for the government of President Bola Tinubu, are calling for the return of a popular fuel subsidy whose removal is seen as a key trigger for rising prices.

While protests are not unusual in Nigeria, it’s less common in the predominantly Muslim north outside of university campuses. Now this level of the protests and sheer numbers of protesters in the big cities of northern Nigeria have caught onlookers, participants, and authorities off guard.

The protests have been passionate and persistent, and the response by security forces has been deadly. Even though the “End bad governance” protests have been nationwide, the 13 people killed as of Saturday Aug. 3 were in three northern states, according to Amnesty International. Police said seven of those people were killed in an explosion rather than in clashes with security forces. The government claims that the peaceful protests have been infiltrated by thugs who broke into stores to loot food items and other valuables.

Curfews have been imposed in Kano and other northern states including Jigawa, Katsina and Borno. One of the protest coordinators in Kano, Abba Bello Abba of the Nigerian Patriotic Front, said “we will continue with the protest once the curfew is lifted, we will continue to do this until our demands are met”.

While most protesters were raising placards and Nigerian flags, there was a smattering of other protesters spotted waving Russian flags and chanting “Putin!” in support of the Russian leader.

Know More

Northern Nigeria, especially the northwest and the northeast, has suffered from insecurity with attacks on civilians and kidnappings, which have led to the displacement of tens of thousands of people. That’s exacerbated long-standing challenges with poverty and unemployment in a vast area that makes up more than half the country.

It means efforts by the government to push through difficult policies such as the fuel subsidy removal and allowing the naira to float freely, while causing economic pain for almost all ordinary Nigerians, have been particularly harsh for those in the north of Nigeria.

People of all ages have taken part in the mostly peaceful protests. Binta Adamu Sheshe, 70, said: “I am forced to join the protest as I have nothing to eat as I speak to you now, my earning a month is 20,000 naira ($12) as a casual staff in a hospital, what will do that for me in this hardship, we need to have fuel subsidy returned.”

The View From Aso Rock

On Sunday morning, President Tinubu made his first public statements since the protests began, calling on Nigerians to suspend the widespread protests. He suggested that the protests had been politically motivated but acknowledged that ordinary citizens were going through a tough time. “I am especially pained by the loss of lives in Borno, Jigawa, Kano, Kaduna and other states, the destruction of public facilities in some states, and the wanton looting of supermarkets and shops, contrary to the promise of protest organizers that the protest would be peaceful across the country.”

Tinubu, who touted some of his administration’s achievements to help turn things around such as creating jobs, said he had heard the protesters “loud and clear”, and that he understood the pain and frustration behind their actions. “But we must not let violence and destruction tear our nation apart.”

By Hamza Ibrahim, Semafor

Frustrated Nigerians vow 'days of rage' as hardships mount