OPERATIVES of the Nigeria Police Force, (NPF) and the army have chased away protesters and journalists from the MKO stadium, Abuja.
The Police reportedly launched several teargas in the direction of the protesters who were demonstrating against the high rate of poverty and hunger in Abuja on Saturday, August 3.
“We heard when one of the officers said protesters were up to 50 and shortly after, they came with scores of policemen,” a source said.
The protesters and journalists ran in different directions during the incident.
The security operatives were reportedly shooting as of the time of filing this report.
It was also gathered that the personnel State Security Service (SSS) came later to disperse the remaining journalists and protesters.
The ICIR reported that on the second day of the #EndBadGovernance protest in Abuja on Friday, August 2, protesters witnessed violence with police throwing teargas canisters at demonstrators in the heart of the nation’s capital.
The protesters had earlier assembled Friday morning to continue with the protest scheduled for 10 days.
The protest is aimed at addressing the lingering hunger crisis experienced since the assumption of President Bola Tinubu assumed office in May 2023, according to the organisers.
Security operatives took over strategic positions at the stadium even before the protest began on Friday, August 2.
First tear gas at protesters
At about 10 am, the protesters gathered at Berger, displaying placards with various inscriptions with the Nigerian flag.
However, these actions prevented motorists from plying the road, triggering police officers to open canisters on the protesters.B
Trouble started after security operatives attacked the protesters and prevented them from gathering at the Berger area of the city.
The ICIR observed that multiple shots of tear gas were fired in the air towards the demonstrators which forced them to flee.
The police officers were also accompanied by those from sister agencies such as the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) as well as the Army.
A reporter with the ICIR
A Journalist with a niche for quality and a promoter of good governance