AFRICA/NIGERIA - The first day of protests against the government's economic policies leaves more than a dozen dead

Abuja (Agenzia Fides) - At least a dozen dead in various areas of Nigeria is the result of the first day of protests called yesterday, August 1 (see Fides, 1/8/2024), against the economic policies of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu. The toll varies depending on the source. According to the Nigerian section of Amnesty International, 13 people were killed in clashes with the police, while the Nigerian newspaper OsunReporters News puts the number at 19.
The clashes took place in the states of Kano, Borno, Yobe, Kaduna, Gombe, Bauchi, Niger, Jigawa and in the Federal Capital Territory of Abuja (FCT). While the opposition and civil society organizations accuse the police of using lethal force to repress the protests, what was feared also seems to have happened, namely that peaceful protests were infiltrated by criminal gangs who fueled the clashes to create chaos and loot public offices and private establishments.
In Borno state, elements of Boko Haram infiltrated the protesters in Maiduguri, the state capital, leading to incidents that left at least four people dead. The police said they arrested at least 30 people.
Meanwhile, the demonstrations continue. This morning, August 2, in the federal capital Abuja, the police used tear gas to disperse dozens of protesters. (L.M.) (Agenzia Fides, 2/8/2024)

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