By John Ikani
At least eleven people have lost their lives following the use of deadly force by police to suppress widespread demonstrations across Nigeria on Thursday.
Accounts from Kano indicate the police bear responsibility for three fatalities in the northern commercial hub.
Law enforcement officials refute these claims, blaming violent agitators for instigating the unrest, exploiting the situation to loot shops, and fatally stabbing fellow protesters.
Heritage Times HT gathered that security personnel, feeling overwhelmed by protesters, opened fire to disperse a crowd in Suleja, resulting in six deaths and additional injuries.
Demonstrators had erected barricades on a section of the Abuja-Kaduna highway.
Residents in the Borno State capital, Maiduguri, reported at least two deaths during Thursday’s protests. The police have yet to respond to The Gazette’s inquiry regarding the violence.
Millions of Nigerians took to the streets on Thursday after months of fruitless negotiations between the government and labour unions over the nation’s severe economic crisis.
President Bola Tinubu asserts his government is working tirelessly to alleviate the suffering of millions of Nigerians facing food shortages.
The administration’s previous proposal to reduce tariffs on food imports was abruptly abandoned last month, further infuriating the public.
Security agencies had warned citizens to avoid protest sites, a caution widely dismissed as a veiled threat of a harsh government response to public discontent.
Authorities also implemented measures to hinder the protests’ momentum, including slowing internet speeds to restrict protesters’ ability to share information and media.
