Dozens of people have been killed across Nigeria since the #EndBadGovernance protest commenced
Olayomi Koiki
The Nigerian Army has reacted to the killing of a young boy in Kaduna State.
Nigerian youths commenced a 10-day nationwide protest against economic hardship in the country on Thursday, 1 August.
But the protest has turned violent, witnessing looting and vandalisation of public and private properties by hoodlums in the northern part of the country.
In a trending video on social media on Tuesday, Ismail was seen lying on the ground.
A military patrol vehicle and some personnel were seen at the location of the incident.
In the video, residents could be heard wailing, saying, “it is not Usman, it is Ismail.”
“They have killed him; they have killed him,” a resident cried.
In the video, a boy wearing a T-shirt stained with blood was seen pacing around the patrol vehicle of the military where the corpse of the boy was kept.
Another man in the video was seen jumping while confronting some military officers.
Reacting to the incident, the Nigerian Army said in a Tuesday statement – issued by Major General Onyema Nwachukwu, Director Army Public Relations: “On 6 August 2024, troops of the Nigerian Army received a distress call that some hoodlums gathered in Samaru in large numbers, burning tires on the road and pelting stones on security personnel. The troops immediately mobilised and arrived at the scene to disperse the mob and enforce the curfew imposed by the State Government.
“On arrival at the scene, the hoodlums brazenly attempted attacking the troops prompting a soldier to fire a warning shot to scare the hoodlums away, which unfortunately led to the death of a 16 year old boy Ismail Mohammed. The soldier involved has since been arrested and undergoing interrogation as at the time of this report.
“Saddened by the unfortunate incident, the Chief of Army Staff Lt Gen Taoreed Abiodun Lagbaja has sent a high-powered delegation led by the General Officer Commanding 1 Division Maj Gen Lander Saraso to visit and condole with the family of the deceased.
“The deceased was buried according to islamic rites with senior military officers of the Nigerian Army in attendance.”
Millions of Nigerians took to the streets on Thursday, 1 August, to protest the prevailing hunger and abuse of power in the country.
Demonstrations continued on Friday, Saturday, Sunday, Monday and Tuesday in Lagos, Ogun, Abuja, Oyo, Ogun, Rivers and other states.
Dozens of people have been killed across Nigeria since the #EndBadGovernance protest commenced. At least 13 people were shot dead by security operatives across the country on the first day.
Police dismissed the information.
Amnesty International asked the government to probe the killings and “highhandedness” of security operatives.
On Friday, 2 August, the Nigerian military asked both international and local media to stop covering nationwide protests over hunger and prevailing hardship under President Bola Tinubu’s government.
The military chief, Christopher Musa had announced that the military may step in if the protest escalates.
Mr Musa’s call for a media blackout on the protests mirrors the actions taken during the EndSARS protests on October 20, 2020, when electricity was disconnected, and telecom networks were down at the Lekki Toll Gate in Lagos, before soldiers opened live rounds on protesters.
Both local and international media have reported developments on the protests, which have seen thousands of Nigerians take to the streets over the worsening cost of living crisis.
On Thursday, poor telecom network coverage hampered the dissemination of information as protesters marched on the streets.
The Nigerian Communication Commission (NCC) and the office of the National Security Adviser (NSA) slowed down internet speed across the country to suppress the flow of information from the protesters to other Nigerians and the outside world, according to an exclusive report by Peoples Gazette.
The network issue continued over the weekend.
Nigeria is facing its worst economic crisis in decades, with skyrocketing inflation, a national currency in free-fall and millions of people struggling to buy food. Only two years ago Africa’s biggest economy, Nigeria is projected to drop to fourth place this year.
The pain is widespread. Unions strike to protest salaries of around $20 a month. People die in stampedes, desperate for free sacks of rice. Hospitals are overrun with women wracked by spasms from calcium deficiencies.
Although President Bola Tinubu increased the minimum wage — after strike action and months-long negotiations with labour unions — from N30,000 to N70,000, his government has increased spending for officials at a time of nationwide starvation.
For workers earning the new N70,000, or $43, per month minimum wage, capricious inflation and naira value have inflicted too much damage for the changes to make any difference in their lives.
The crisis is largely believed to be rooted in two major changes implemented by Mr Tinubu, elected 14 months ago: the partial removal of fuel subsidies and the floating of the currency, which together have caused major price rises.
A nation of entrepreneurs, Nigeria’s more than 200 million citizens are skilled at managing in tough circumstances, without the services states usually provide. They generate their own electricity and source their own water. They take up arms and defend their communities when the armed forces cannot. They negotiate with armed kidnappers when family members are abducted.
But right now, their resourcefulness is being stretched to the limit.
KOIKI Media bringing the world 🌎 closer to your door step