At Least 7 killed Day 1 #EndBadGovernance Protest in Nigeria

Despite official efforts to stifle it, the nationwide 10-day anti-government protests kicked off yesterday, August 1st, with significant actions seen in Abuja, Kano, Minna, Katsina, and Lagos.

Peaceful protesters in Kano yesterday 1st August

The protest, termed “#EndBadGovernance,” turned violent, with as many as seven people dead after clashes between Nigerian security personnel and citizens on its first day.

The newspaper Daily Trust reported that six people were killed on Thursday during clashes with police in an attempt to dislodge a roadblock protesters had installed in Minna, the capital of Niger State. One person was killed and another critically wounded by stray bullets fired by police in Kano, where another group of protesters breached the seat of government in the city.

With protesters looting several government buildings, offices, and private businesses, the Kano State Government has decided to enforce a 24-hour curfew across the state. This follows an incident where certain protesters breached government properties, resulting in the subsequent arrest of several individuals involved.

President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, who assumed office a little over a year ago, has yet to address the nation. His administration has been the subject of intense controversy long before he took office. Policies and spending, such as the floating of the naira, removal of fuel subsidies, international borrowing, a new presidential jet, a yacht, and a N21 billion home for the country’s Vice President, have led to outrage. Most Nigerians consider these actions insensitive, unfair, and unacceptable, demanding an end to the spiraling economic crisis that has rendered the people of Africa’s top oil producer among the poorest in the world.

The protest has taken on an ethnic tone, with the hashtag #IgbosMustGo trending yesterday on Twitter—a call for citizens of Igbo extraction to leave the southwest part of the country which have seen more unrest as a significant part of the southeast have shun the protest so far

The protests, initially planned for Thursday, unexpectedly began a few days early in Niger State. Analysts suggest that this shift in timing, and the fact that they started in the north—an area where protests against socioeconomic conditions have historically been slower to mobilize—highlight the extent of frustration in the country.

Ikemesit Effiong, head of research at Lagos-based SBM Intelligence, explained that the region is "much poorer" and currently grappling with a severe malnutrition crisis. It has been "disproportionately impacted by a triple whammy of high insecurity—particularly from insurgents and kidnap rings—elevated levels of political instability, and a food-growing crisis which has left many families hungry, frustrated, and seething."

The government has been on high alert for weeks in anticipation of the protests, fearing a scenario similar to the mass actions seen in Kenya. On Thursday, there were more security personnel than protesters in some cities. Pro-government demonstrators also took to the streets in parts of Lagos to counter the protests but faced little opposition.

On X, formerly known as Twitter, one commentator remarked that the government's attempts to suppress the protests had instead caused a "Streisand effect"—that is, it inadvertently gave the protests even more publicity.

As the day winds down and many return to their homes to recharge and prepare for the next day, the sponsors of the protest—hunger, hardship, and poor governance—will continue to remind all interested that the Nigerian people mean business this time around.

VonFrederick Global Security Africa will continue to bring you the latest updates regarding the protest from around the country.

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