Nigeria police fired teargas at several demonstrators in Abuja, the country’s capital, on Thursday during #EndBadGovernance protests over the worsening economic situation in the nation.
Law enforcement agents deployed teargas to manage crowds during the protest, which was sparked by concerns over the country’s economic condition.
Demonstrators initially gathered at the MKO Abiola Stadium before relocating to Eagle Square, just before the police commissioner’s deadline to enter the stadium. Earlier, protesters had expressed dissatisfaction with Police Commissioner Benneth Igwe’s directive to move their peaceful assembly from outside the stadium to inside.
The sudden directive was met with resistance and jeers from the crowd, who had been demonstrating peacefully. “We are not obstructing traffic, and we are by the side of the stadium. We cannot move into the stadium,” they told the commissioner. Human rights lawyer Mr. Deji Adeyanju emphasized that the court order was for the protesters to protest at the National Stadium and not inside it. “You cannot lock up the protesters in the stadium; the court order was for the protesters to protest at the National Stadium and not in the stadium specifically,” he said.
“We are not here for football; we are not going inside the stadium. They can damage something there after we have left and blame it on us,” one of the protesters added. The commissioner then gave the protesters three hours to move into the stadium for their protest. A few minutes before the three hours elapsed, the protesters moved from the stadium to Eagle Square.
However, upon arriving at Eagle Square, the police fired teargas at several demonstrators. The #EndBadGovernance protests are scheduled to sweep across the nation, with demonstrations taking place in various locations, including the Federal Capital Territory, as citizens demand change and express their discontent with the current state of governance.