Day 5: Protesters defy Tinubu, return to the streets

Kindly share this story!

Protesters on Monday, stormed the streets of Port Harcourt, Rivers State; Ojota in Lagos State, Kaduna and Abuja, among other states, despite President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s plea for dialogue in a nationwide broadcast on Sunday.

In Abuja, security operatives again dispersed demonstrators in the Karu area and arrested at least three individuals.

The protesters had started assembling when security agents intervened, leading to the use of teargas to calm the situation.

“I was shocked when I saw some people gathering at Karu. I thought the gathering was supposed to be in town. The police came and dispersed the protesters with teargas. They arrested about three people that I saw,” said Ibrahim Sani, an eyewitness who witnessed the scene unfold.

The dispersal of protesters in Karu is part of a broader crackdown on demonstrations across Abuja, with security forces also firing teargas at the MKO Abiola National Stadium earlier today.

The protests have continued despite attempts to disperse them, with demonstrators vowing to press on with their demands for an end to bad governance.

In a surprising twist, protesters have begun waving foreign flags, including Russian flags, in various locations in the nation’s capital.

Demonstrators holding Russian flags were sighted on Monday near the Nyanya bridge, a suburb in Abuja.

According to Auwalu Idi, a protester, “We are raising the Russian flag because we believe Tinubu is playing his masters’ scripts — the World Bank, the International Monetary Fund (IMF), and the United States of America.”

The protesters’ demands include an end to hunger, food inflation, and bad governance, as well as the return of fuel subsidies.

In Lagos, protesters could be heard chanting that they don't want N5,000 gift but want their right.

In Kaduna, hundreds of protesters carrying Russian flags also marched within the metropolis.

Leave a Reply