ABUJA: Nigerian troops and police on Thursday tightened the security in Lagos and Abuja cities as they prepared for planned protests over the economic hardships.
The African state is currently struggling with high inflation and a devalued local currency after President Bola Ahmed Tinubu introduced economic reforms a year ago.
Security forces blocked roads in Abuja, leading to Eagle Square one of the planned protest locations while in Lagos, police and soldiers were deployed at strategic points, including at the Lekki tollgate, where protests ended in bloodshed in 2020.
“Hunger has brought me out to protest,” said 24-year-old demonstrator Asamau Peace Adams. According to Western media reports handful of protesters also gathered in the city of Kano.
Government officials on the eve of the protests, had urged young activists to reject rallies and give some time to the implementation of Tinubu’s economic reforms.
Many Nigerians are struggling with the high costs of transport and food while many people are worried about insecurity around protests.
However, protest leaders, a coalition of civil society groups, vowed to continue with rallies despite legal challenges to limit them to public parks and stadiums instead of marches.
The government on Wednesday unveiled measures it had taken to alleviate economic hardships, including raising the minimum salary levels, delivering grains to states across Nigeria and financial support to the most needy.
The last major protest in Nigeria was held in 2020 when young activists came onto the streets to rally against the brutality of the SARS anti-robbery squad. But the protests ended in bloodshed in Lagos.
