Reactions don follow viral reports of alleged clampdown of Nigerian police on protesters wey gada for di MKO Abiola Stadium, Abuja, di kontri capital.
According to reports for local media, Nigerian Police bin use teargas pursue di protesters wey comot ova di weekend for Day 3 of di protests against bad governance and arrest some of dem.
However, police neva comment on di mata.
Human Rights groups like Amnesty International, di National Human Rights Commission and di Human Rights Writers Association of Nigeria (HURIWA) don condemn dis action.
For one statement wey Amnesty International post on dia X account, dem hala say, "di Nigerian authorities must end di ongoing violent crackdown on peaceful protesters wey gada for Moshood Abiola Stadium, Abuja. Di ova 50 peaceful protesters wey dem arrest around di FCT must dey released immediately and unconditionally."
Also, HURIWA say di arrest of protesters for Abuja by di police na, "brutal, reckless and unprofessional conduct."
The Nigerian authorities must immediately end the ongoing violent crackdown on peaceful protesters who convened at Moshood Abiola Stadium Abuja. The over 50 peaceful protesters arbitrarily arrested across the FCT must be released immediately and unconditionally.
— Amnesty International Nigeria (@AmnestyNigeria) August 3, 2024
Di National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) on dia part kick against di police for wetin dem call "molestation of journalists for Eagles Square during di End Bad Governance in Nigeria protest."
Di commission for statement list di name of pipo wey bin dey molested as tori dey ground say police shoot live bullets for one journalist motor wey e carry come di protest arena.
NHRC call on di Inspector General of Police to torchlight di mata.
Dem even give di police ten days to do investigation into wetin happun and report which kain action dem take, give di commission.
'Seven pipo die in two days of protest' - Police
While Nigerian police neva chook mouth on di accuse wey Human Rights put for dem on di arrests for Abuja for dis weekend, dem don call on Nigerians to stay away from di protests.
For statement wey dem release on Saturday, dem reveal say in di first two days of protest, seven pipo na im don die across di kontri due to di protests, as well as nine police officers wey injure.
For dia statement dem reveal say, "for effort to fight di trend of crimes and criminality, di police don arrest total of 681 pipo wey commit various crimes like armed robbery, arson, mischief, and destructions of both public and private property".
But dem tok say none of di pipo wey dem arrest be organisers of di protest or protesters and di pipo wey police gbab na di ones wey get clear links to crimes.
Di police explain di deaths for di first two days of protests say, four die and 34 odas injure for Borno state afta suspected Boko Haram/ISWAP members find dia way enta protest come explode Improvised Explosive Device (IED).
Dem add say anoda incident wey ne Honda Prelude car wey no get registration run enta protesters kill two pipo.
Di final pesin wey dem claim say die for dis protest na for Kebbi state for Yauri local goment wey vigilante shoot kill one looter from group wey arrange demselves to loot one shop.
Police howeva use di opportunity to call for di end of di protests as dem reason say, "di ongoing protests don obviously turn violent. We wan advise law abiding citizens wey dey part of di protests across di kontri make dem sharparly comot hand."
Why Nigerians dey protest
“We dey protest because we dey hungry,” Nigerian activist Banwo Olagokun tell BBC.
Im dey part of di Take It Back Movement, one of di groups wey call for 10 days of protest from dis Thursday – even though goment don beg dem to stand down.
“We dey protest becos di inflation rate don affect us to di point wey we no fit afford di simple tins of life - food, water, clothes, medicals,” Oga Olagokun, 36, add put.
Nigeria dey experience dia worst economic crisis in a generation. Annual inflation dey at 34.19% - dia highest in almost three decades. Food prices dey rise even faster - for example, for di commercial capital, Lagos, yams na almost four times more expensive dan last year.
Pipo dey often say Nigerians dey tough and dem also say dem sabi adapt quick- quick to changing circumstances.
For recent months some pipo dey buy tomatoes wey don nearly rotten, cheaper, lower-grade rice and fewer meals to survive. But e no dey clear wetin go be di breaking point.
Di Take It Back Movement want di goment to tackle di cost-of-living crisis, and also to offer free education at all levels.
“We just dey demand for di reversal of di tins wey dey make tins expensive,” Oga Olagokun tok.
Some of Take It Back Movement oda demands include to scrap di kontri 1999 constitution, to allow Nigerians wey dey live abroad to vote for elections and release di Biafran separatist leader Nnamdi Kanu from prison.
Di national co-ordinator of di movement, Juwon Sanyaolu, wey be 31 years, say dem partly draw dia inspiration from recent events for Kenya, wia youth ginger I no go gree protest to force President William Ruto to scrap one controversial tax-rise plan.
Im say di demands of di Nigerians wey dey plan to demonstrate dey realistic and e fit lead to similar change.
“If Kenyans dey call for di dissolution of [President William] Ruto cabinet, I dey sure pipo go dey tok say, ‘Your goals dey unrealistic’. But today, dem don dissolve di entire cabinet," Oga Sanyaolu tok
"Dem only exercise democracy,” Im add put.
How di protest don go so far
Dis na wetin don happun so far di protests:
- As at Saturday 3 August, di protest hold for Lagos, Abuja and some oda parts of di kontri but e no hold for Port Harcourt.
- Security agencies still dey on ground to protect di protesters.
- Amnesty International condemn di killing of protesters by security officials for Nigeria.
- Nigeria former vice president Atiku Abubakar give im support to di ongoing nationwide protest against hunger for di kontri,
- Nigeria Police Force place all units on red alert.
- Nigeria Minister of Communication Innovation and Digital Economy, Bosun Tijani, deny say goment give instruction to network providers to disrupt di internet connection of Nigerians.
- Banks, shops, business still sey shutdown.
- Many shops, banks and business dem still remain closed on Friday, sake of di nationwide protest.
- For Lagos, wey be di commercial center, business activities shutdown.
- Most business pipo ask dia staff to work from home.
- Meanwhile for Kano, wey dey di northern part f di kontri, government partially relax curfew to allow pipo observe Jumat prayers. Shop owners also protect dia properties afta jaguda pipo enta pipo shops and tiff plenty tins on Thursday.
- Borno state also relax curfew.
- Meanwhile for di south-eastern part of di kontri major streets and cities bin dey empty.
- Di residents for Imo, Enugu, Anambra, Abia and Ebonyi no join di protest.
