More states are joining in the protests against the high cost of living in the country, which is a reminiscent of the 2011 #OccupyNigeria protest against petrol subsidy removal that lasted more than a week, and 2020 #EndSARS protest against police brutality that dragged for nearly a month.
After what could be termed a warning shot to ‘test the microphone’ with protests in Kano, Niger and Osun states, another protest broke out yesterday on the streets of Suleja in Niger and Kogi State over the rising cost of living. This is coming two days after protesters stormed the streets of Minna, the Niger State capital.
Suleja, the commercial nerve centre of Niger, is only a few kilometres away from the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja.
An eyewitness, Mr. Yazid Abubakar, said the protesters stormed the popular Moroko Road where the biggest market is located in the town. They carried placards with various inscriptions such as “Leadership is all about improving the life of the masses”, “No food, we are dying of hunger” and “Nigerians are suffering, stop the hardship now,” among others.
They accused political officeholders of insensitivity to their plight as they lamented their inability to feed even once a day.
In response to Monday’s protest, the Niger State Police Command clamped down on 25 protesters. Police Public Relations Officer, Wasiu Abiodun, confirmed the arrest of one Aisha Jibrin, the initiator of the protest, and 24 others. The earlier protest forced President Bola Tinubu to order a food intervention to check the shortage of food in the country.
Abiodun, in a statement, said: “A large number of women and miscreants mobilised themselves on Monday and blocked Minna-Bida road and Kpakungu roundabout, claiming to be protesting against increase in food prices, causing major obstruction on the highway and deprived motorists, travellers, and other road users from gaining access to attend to their lawful businesses.
“After much persuasion by the police, the protesters deliberately refused to clear the road for public use, while the deputy governor of Niger State, Yakubu Garba, addressed the group, yet they turned deaf ears and chose to be violent.
“However, the police adopted minimum force to disperse the protesters who turned violent by attacking the police with dangerous weapons such as stones, bottles, sticks, cutlasses, and damaged police patrol vehicles and parts of the Kpakungu Division roof.
“In the course of this, the police arrested the initiators of the protest, one Aisha Jibrin 30yrs, Fatima Aliyu 57yrs, Fatima Isyaku 43yrs, and 22 other miscreants with dangerous weapons.”
Reacting, presidential candidate of the African Action Congress (AAC) in the last general election, Omoyele Sowore, called for immediate release of the women allegedly arrested for initiating the recent food price protest in Niger State, saying the protest was heroic.
He wrote on X: “I have just received information that the woman who initiated the food price protest in Niger State has been arrested by the @PoliceNG for organising this heroic act, she and other women are to be arraigned by the police. The police must release them immediately. These women are going to be the face of this uprising coming the way of Nigeria.”
Similarly, traders in Lokoja, Kogi State, trooped out to protest the high cost of essential commodities and general poverty across the state. The traders, mainly market women and men, lamented the soaring prices of food items which have affected patronage.
A trader who simply identified herself as Mrs Ladi, who deals in rice and beans, said the sharp increase in the cost of the commodities had affected her business capital as sales were low. She stated that she could hardly make profit after trading.
