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Protests have been launched across the country due to poor governance, insecurity, and the recent Twitter ban.
Nigerian police fired tear gas to disperse anti-government protesters in Lagos and the capital Abuja, and there were reports of arrests and injuries.
Nigerian militants called for a nationwide protest on Saturday to protest the poor governance and insecurity they criticized, as well as the recent Twitter ban Provided by the government of President Muhammadu Buhari.
Some protests also took place in Ibadan, Osobo, Abeokuta and Akure in southwestern Nigeria.
The protest was the first time since 2017 that it occurred simultaneously in multiple cities. #EndSARS Campaign against police brutality October became the largest anti-government rally in Nigeria’s modern history.
On Saturday, hundreds of protesters gathered in Lagos, a metropolis with a population of more than 20 million, and the police fired tear gas to disperse the crowd. The protesters held up banners and placards with the words “Buhari Must Go”, calling for reforms.
In Abuja, protesters gathered as early as 7 am (06:00 GMT) and a similar situation occurred.
An AFP reporter at the scene said that a unit of the police and the army used tear gas to disperse the crowd, adding that some reporters had been harassed by security forces.
The police had stated that the protest was unauthorized, and AFP reporters said they saw several people detained.
Samson Okafor, a protester in Lagos, said: “We can’t continue like this…all bad governance must stop.” When the police shouted at the demonstrators to leave the scene, the tear gas canister Smoke in the street.
Officials have also seen smashed cell phones confiscated by protesters. Some of them criticized the government’s decision to suspend access to Twitter after deleting President Buhari’s posts on social media platforms.
Protesters holding placards and banners at the rally on Abuja Democracy Day on June 12 [Afolabi Sotunde/Reuters]
Buhari, a former general who was elected president for the first time in 2015, has been facing increasing insecurity from the most populous country in Africa, which has a population of more than 200 million.
Security forces are fighting an armed uprising in the northeast, a surge in large-scale kidnappings and attacks by criminal gangs in the northwest, and the escalation of fissionist tension in the southeast.
A week ago, the government suspended Twitter indefinitely in the country, saying that the platform was used for activities aimed at destabilizing Nigeria, which also sparked strong protests.
Saturday’s demonstration was called “Democracy Day” to commemorate the anniversary of Moshood Kashimawo Abiola’s election as Nigeria’s President in 1993.
Abiola’s victory was declared invalid by the military government at the time, and Nigeria plunged into civil strife for months.
Nigeria resumed civil rule in May 1999, but Buhari chose June 12 as Democracy Day after becoming president to commemorate Abiola and other heroes of the struggle.
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