Hundreds of protesters took to the streets of Nigeria Thursday to voice dissatisfaction over recent government reforms that resulted in an increased cost of living.
Police have employed increased security measure in Lagos and the capital, Abuja, as protests breakout nationwide. Police have fired tear gas to disperse crowds of demonstrators, Reuters reported.
Many Nigerians blame the cost-of-living crisis on President Bola Tinubu’s reforms introduced last year. A popular fuel subsidy was cancelled which resulted in the devaluing of the naira.
Using the hashtag #EndBadGovernanceinNigeria, the protest movement has garnered support through an online campaign among Nigerians who are currently dealing with a 40 percent food inflation and fuel prices that tripled since Tinubu’s reformed were introduced.
International rights group Human Rights Watch expressed concern over a potential violent crackdown by the Nigeria government.
Nigeria had already been witnessing violent police crackdowns on protesters in 2020, where young people mobilized through social media and organized demonstrations calling for the abolition of the federal Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS), which has long been accused of unlawful arrests, torture and extrajudicial killings.