Four Protestors Shot Dead During ‘End Bad Governance’ Protests in Nigeria

Day one of a 10-day planned protest to #EndBadGovernance in Nigeria has resulted in the deaths of four protestors and the implementation of 24-hour curfews in three of the country's thirty-six states..What You Need to Know.The #EndBadGovernance movement formed on social media in response to the nation's rising cost of living, coupled with the removal of a fuel subsidy—in place since the 1970s—in May last year..Referred to as the 'hunger protests', the country's youth have vowed to take to the streets across '10 days of rage' to illustrate their dissatisfaction with inflation ravaging the nation under the Tinubu government..Currently, inflation in the country sits at 33.95 percent, with the Nigerian Naira trading 1 to 0.00059 of a US dollar..As a result of this rising cost of living, which has pushed an estimated 16 percent of Nigerians into 'severe food insecurity,' according to the International Rescue Committee (IRC), the Federal Government suspended import duties on essential food items just two days before the protests were set to begin..As per NairaMetrics, a Nigerian financial reporting company, prices for essential food items were already skyrocketing three months ago. In May, the price of a 110 pound bag of foreign rice had risen 83 percent compared to 2023 prices, while tinned products such as tomatoes saw a 57.4 percent price increase..Citizens already grappling with the removal of the fuel subsidy are now also grappling with a 160 percent increase in prices compared to quarter one of 2023..Adding to the country's financial problems is the recent signing in of a new minimum wage law, which brought the national monthly minimum wage up from 30,000 ($24) Naira to 70,000 ($44) Naira. The new wage had severely impacted small and medium business owners, who are reportedly struggling to pay their employees. The new wage has also added an extra 3 trillion Naira ($1.7 billion) to the national budget deficit which was initially sitting at 10 trillion Naira ($5.8 billion)..The #EndBadGovernance protests seek to bring awareness to the plight of the Nigerian populous, with various protestors holding signs claiming "we are not slaves in our country" and chanting "we are hungry.".The police in the capital, Abuja, fired teargas in response to the protests, with four protestors shot dead Maiduguri, Borno state, and another six killed in Suleja, Niger state, according to Zagazola security analysts..Looting has also occurred in several states including Katsina, Kano, Borno, Yobe, and Nasarawa, with the Kano state governor claiming the movement had been "hijacked by thugs.".In Kano state, protestors looted the soon-to-be commissioned communications commission building, making away with a variety of office furniture. Elsewhere in Kano, the looting of mattresses and oil drums took place, with a bonfire being lit near the house of Abba Kabir Yusuf, the state governor..In the aftermath, a series of curfews have been set in place in the aforementioned states, with only Kano and Borno placing a state-wide 24-hour curfew..Yobe state has restricted movement in three Local Government Areas (LGAs), Nasarawa state in one LGA, with Katsina state implementing a singular 24-hour curfew in Dustin-Ma LGA, while the remaining 33 LGA's remain under a 12-hour curfew..So, What Now?.In the lead up to the protests, the country's Inspector General of Police directed his officers to protect the demonstrators, although the death of the four protestors in Kano and the report of another six dead in Suleja point towards an intensification of police responses in the following nine days..Many government officials warned of a return to violence similar to that which occurred during the #EndSARS anti-police brutality protests in 2020, which left 51 dead in the aftermath..The United States, United Kingdom as well as Canada have all issued separate travel advisories to their nationals in the country, warning against travel to potential confrontation areas such as Abuja and Lagos, while also advising to avoid large crowds.