Police disperse protesters with teargas, live ammunition in Abuja

The police on Saturday fired teargas and live ammunition to disperse some youth who were protesting in the Galadimawa area of Abuja.

The # EndbadGovernace protesters came out at 6:30 a.m.. They were marching from Ebano Supermarket to Galadimawa junction when the police arrived about three hours later and fired teargas and live ammunition to disperse them.

The protesters scampered for safety as a result of the attack, though no life was lost.

“We started at 6:30 a.m. to 9 p.m. before they scattered us. We started around Ebano supermarket at that junction and matched to the Galadimawa roundabout. Before we could get to the Galadimawa roundabout, police came with their usual trademark and chased us away.

“They didn’t shoot live bullets at us directly, but tear gas was directly fired at us. But since they started shooting guns, no one can tell if they will start killing us if you don’t run.

“We are not scared of teargas and arrest, sir. If they didn’t shoot live bullets, they wouldn’t be able to scatter us. We want to live to see the country we are fighting for. So, we couldn’t face bullets, and that was why we ran.

‘’But today hasn’t marked the end of the protest. We will continue to protest until our demands are attended to. The most essential is the reversal of the removal of fuel subsidy, which is the major reason we are where we are now,” one of the protesters told PREMIUM TIMES.

The 10-day #EndbadGovernace protest against hunger and hardship began on 1 August nationwide and is scheduled to end today, as scheduled.

Nigerians, dissatisfied with President Bola Tinubu’s economic policies, have been demanding drastic solutions to the prevailing economic hardship, including a reversal of some of the policies.

This newspaper reported that the protests were suppressed by the police and other security agencies who shot at peaceful protesters and journalists during the first three days.

Amnesty International (AI) reported that over 20 persons were killed across the country during the demonstrations.

On Sunday, President Tinubu addressed the country on his policies and demanded an end to the protests. However, some Nigerians who were not appeased by the speech continued the protest.