ABUJA, (Reuters) – Police fired tear gas to disperse crowds of protesters in Nigeria’s capital city Abuja yesterday, as thousands rallied against escalating cost of living and governance issues in Africa’s most populous nation, according to eyewitness accounts.
Protesters demonstrated in Abuja, the commercial capital Lagos and several other cities to show discontent with economic reforms that have led to rampant inflation and inflicted increasing hardship on ordinary Nigerians. President Bola Tinubu has vowed to pursue the changes that he says are needed to keep the country afloat.
Authorities deployed armed security personnel in an effort to preempt potential violence.
In Lagos, armed police watched as protesters marched towards the government house and then proceeded to two locations that were authorised for the protest. Some shopping malls in the city were shut and guarded by a heavy police presence.
