Categories: AFRICALatest

Democracy Day: Nigerian Police Fire Teargas to Break Up Protests Over Rising Insecurity  

[bc_video video_id=”6258531803001″ account_id=”6116119081001″ player_id=”default” embed=”in-page” padding_top=”56%” autoplay=”” min_width=”0px” playsinline=”” picture_in_picture=”” max_width=”640px” mute=”” width=”100%” height=”100%” ]

Police fired teargas and detained several demonstrators in the Nigerian cities of Lagos and Abuja on Saturday during protests over the country’s worsening security situation.

Anger over mass kidnappings-for-ransom, a decade-long Islamist insurgency and a crackdown on protesters in Lagos last October has fuelled demands for the government of President Muhammadu Buhari to do more to tackle violence and insecurity. read more

There was a heavy police presence in the country’s two major cities as several hundred people gathered to protest on Democracy Day, which marks Nigeria’s move to civilian rule more than 20 years ago.

Reuters witnesses in Lagos and the capital Abuja saw police shooting their guns into the air and firing teargas into the crowds to disperse the demonstrators, who held placards and chanted “Buhari must go”.

“We cannot continue like this … all the bad governance must stop,” said protester Samson Okafor in Lagos, where teargas canisters smouldered in the street as police shouted at demonstrators to leave the scene.

Officers were also seen smashing mobile phones confiscated from protesters, some of whom criticised the government’s decision to suspend access to Twitter after the social media platform removed a recent post by Buhari. read more

Abuja police spokesman Yusuf Mariam said officers in the capital made no arrests but had “restored calm” after people gathered who were “inciting public disturbance and breaching public peace.”

He did not comment on the Lagos protests, and other police spokesmen did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

Before fleeing under clouds of teargas, demonstrators in Abuja marched with banners reading “#Buhari Must Go” and other slogans denouncing rising insecurity and the country’s 33.3% unemployment rate.

Some also carried placards demanding the release of Ibrahim Zakzaky, the imprisoned leader of banned Nigerian Shi’ite group the Islamic Movement of Nigeria.

Follow us on:

AriseNews

Recent Posts

Trump Alleges ‘Massive Cheating’ in Philadelphia And Detroit, Offers No Evidence

Trump claims "massive cheating" in Philadelphia and Detroit without evidence; officials call it disinformation, affirming…

56 mins ago

US Elections: Trump Wins West Virginia

Trump has won the State of West Virginia, putting him at 23 electoral votes

59 mins ago

US Elections: Kamala Harris Wins Vermont

Democratic candidate Kamala Harris won Vermont, securing 59.4% of the vote, while Republican Donald Trump…

1 hour ago

US Elections: Donald Trump Wins Kentucky, Indiana With 71%, 61% Of The Vote

Trump has won the States of Kentucky and Indiana, giving him 19 electoral votes

1 hour ago

Top World Leaders to Miss COP29 Climate Summit Amidst Political Turmoil, Domestic Priorities

Leaders from major economies, including the U.S., EU, and Brazil, plan to skip this year’s…

1 hour ago

Tinubu To Bayelsa Delegation: Infrastructural Development Will Spur Economic Prosperity

Tinubu has pledged to support infrastructural development, saying it will encourage Nigeria’s economic advancement

2 hours ago