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Nigeria’s President Bola Tinubu has called for an end to three days of protests over a deepening cost of living crisis that have left “bloodshed”.
At least seven people have died and more than 700 have been arrested since Nigerians held rallies across the country on Thursday to kick off a 10-day “Day of Rage.”
“Dear Nigerians, especially our youths, I hear you loud and clear,” the president said in a televised address, adding that he understood their “pain and frustration.”
He continued to defend his economic reforms, which protesters blame for the difficulties he has faced since taking office in May 2023, including soaring prices.
The president said protests in some areas had been hijacked by looters and that ending the unrest would create space for dialogue.
But Mr Tinubu has given no indication he would change his policies, including removing petrol subsidies or ending the local currency’s peg to the dollar.
The demonstration was organized via social media, using the hashtag #EndBadGovernance, and was inspired by the recent success of protesters in Kenya. Force the government to abandon plans to increase taxes.
President Tinubu also expressed grief over the loss of lives and destruction of public facilities in the four northern states.
A 24-hour curfew remains in place in Borno, Jigawa, Kano and Yobe states after authorities blamed “thugs” for the violence.
Tinubu said the “wanton looting of supermarkets and shops” went against the promises made by protest organisers.
The protests in the city of Kano attracted the largest crowds on the first day, with police firing live ammunition and tear gas to try to disperse thousands of demonstrators. Looting was also reported.
“As president of this country, I have to ensure public order,” the 72-year-old president said in a speech on Sunday morning.
“Our government will not stand idly by and allow a small minority with clear political agendas to divide this country.”
Amnesty International estimated the national death toll at 13 and on Sunday called on the governor of Kano state to “set up an independent judicial commission of inquiry into the killings of at least 10 hunger strikers”.
Some in Kano state continue to defy lockdown orders, with some gathering on the outskirts of Kano state on Friday and Saturday being photographed waving Russian flags and calling on Russian President Vladimir Putin for help.
By Sunday, the sentiment was reflected on WhatsApp, where protesters changed their profile pictures to the Russian flag, with some bearing the words “Rasha Uwa,” meaning “Russia Our Mother” in Hausa.
Others posted memes in the Kano group, saying: “We Nigerians are starving and our leaders don’t care. Please ask Russian President Putin to help us.”
In the capital, Abuja, security forces fired tear gas for a third day on Saturday to prevent protesters from marching from a stadium where they were designated to gather to the city center.
Businesses that were closed during the first protest began reopening on Friday in parts of Lagos and Abuja.
But flights from Lagos to Kano and other places have been cancelled indefinitely.
It’s unclear whether the president’s speech will quell the anger among Nigeria’s youth — but early signs suggest otherwise.
After the speech, a youth leader in the northern city of Kaduna posted on Facebook in Hausa: “Everyone will come out tomorrow with Russian flags.”
“We will not leave the streets until our demands are met,” Abiodun Sanusi, a member of the Take Back Nigeria movement and one of the organisers of the protest, told the BBC.
He urged the President to allow the protesters to march to downtown Abuja and join them there.
“If the President wishes to have a dialogue, we urge him to meet us at Eagle Square, live on television in front of all Nigerians.
“We are not interested in any secret meetings.”
Sanusi added that protesters were upset by the defence minister’s threat on Friday that the military would “take action” if the violence continued.
“The only people on the streets should be police officers, and they should remain peaceful.”
Police have denied using excessive force during the demonstrations.
Respected Nigerian security analyst Brama Bukati warned that the use of the Russian flag was spreading and “potentially dangerous.”
“I urge protesters to be cautious and not allow themselves to be manipulated by destabilizing forces with sinister intentions,” he said on X.
West Africa has seen several coups in recent years, with Burkina Faso, Mali and Nigeria’s northern neighbour Niger withdrawing from the regional bloc and welcoming Russia’s help in dealing with security issues.
British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC).
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