The hunger protest gained momentum yesterday as thousands of Nigerians converged on different streets of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Abuja, to register their displeasure over the parlours state of the nation.
Areas such as the Berger Roundabout in Wuse Zone 6, the Moshood Abiola International Stadium and the Eagle Square, had plethora of protesters, as early as 9:06 a.m.
The demonstration was emboldened with the presence of Martins Vincent Otse popularly known as Very Dark Man; an activist, Deji Adeyanju, and Barr. Kingdom Okere, among others.
The demonstrators chanted slogans such as; “End Bad Government” and “Bring back Subsidy”, “We are hungry” and “Tinubu, where is the change?”
The protesters who attempted to converged around 9:08 a.m. on the Eagle Square were dispersed by security personnel with teargas, gunshots, and directed to the M.K.O.Abiola Stadium.
Public servants stayed off the Federal Secretariat as most government-owned premises were locked.
Now when the protesters gathered at the entrance of the entrance of the stadium, at the Central Business District junction near the United Nations building at about 12:39 p.m, an helicopter was flying around the vicinity, a scene that further charged the atmosphere.
Security personnel drawn from the Army Headquarters Garrison Command, Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC), Department of State Services (DSS) and the FCT Commissioner of Police, Bennett Igweh, prevented the protesters from entering the stadium.
In the process, they fired teargas canisters to disperse the crowd, and a protester was shot dead while trying to escape.
Before then the altercation created a traffic jam along the the Umar Musa Yar’Adua Expressway.
They warned against the use of brute force to stop the protest, demanding that President Tinubu should address their grievances.
Specifically, they told the President to return of fuel subsidies to reduce petrol prices and an end to corruption in the subsidy regime.
A protesters, Jane Hingir, 32, said she joined the protest because she could no longer afford to feed herself. “I’ve been struggling to make ends meet, but it’s getting harder every day,” she said.
Despite being dispersed by security forces, some Muslim protesters regrouped at the MKO Abiola National Stadium to observe the Friday Juma’at prayers.
Following the prayer session, the protesters began to chant solidarity songs, reigniting their passion and unity. This display of camaraderie underscored their resolve to continue demanding action from the government to address the pressing issues of hunger and hardship.