#Endbadgovernment: 21-year-Old Slan Protester.
The ongoing hunger protests across Nigeria have led to significant loss of life and property damage, especially in the Northern regions, as reported by Daily Trust on Monday, August 5, 2024.
Reports from Kano, Katsina, Borno, Niger, and Yobe states reveal numerous fatalities among protesters attempting to loot shops. Social media and television images show many young protestors carrying looted goods.
Read: #EndBadGovernment Protesters Hold Russian Flag During Demonstrations in Northern Nigeria (Video)
Beacon Consulting, a West African security research firm, reported that the protests, which began on Thursday, have caused at least 20 deaths. Niger state saw the highest toll with six fatalities, followed by Kano and Borno with four each, Kaduna with three, Jigawa with two, and Kebbi with one.
In Suleja, Niger State, five people were killed during Thursday’s protest. The victims included Yahaya Nda Isa, a carpenter; Abubakar Musa, a commercial motorcyclist; an unnamed almajiri boy; Abdussalam Shamsudin, a mechanic; and Abubakar Yusuf, another commercial motorcyclist. Six others were injured, some critically, with two transferred to the University of Abuja Teaching Hospital in Gwagwalada and two to their home state, Kano.
READ: President Tinubu Addresses Nation Amid #EndBadGovernment Protests: Full Speech
A family member, Dauda Rabiu, criticized government hospitals for not treating the injured adequately, stating, “All of them left the hospital with the bullets still in their bodies, and as a result, one of the victims, Abubakar Yusuf, lost his life on the way to his hometown, Sumaila, in Kano State.”
CSP Muhammad Shettima, the DPO of Suleja, denied any fatalities or injuries but accused protesters of attempting to invade the police division.
Victims’ families are demanding justice. Abubakar Nda Isa, whose brother Yahaya was killed, said, “Yahaya was not among the protesters. He went to Church Road to collect money from a client. He was going back home when a stray bullet hit him on his head.”
READ: HAPPENING NOW: #EndBadGovernment Protesters Kick Start Protest at Moshood Abiola Stadium in Abuja
Shamsuddin Isiyaku, father of the late Abdussalam, emphasized, “I need the matter to be investigated and those found culpable should be punished.”
In Kaduna, Aisha Hussaini, widow of 65-year-old Hussaini Bamalli, lamented her husband’s death, noting he was not protesting but visiting his sick daughter. She said, “I received a call that day and I ran to the scene where I found his body on the floor. He didn’t have money until he went out to look for food before feeding his children, and now he is no more.”
In Katsina, 30-year-old Surajo Umar was shot by police while on his way to visit a relative. His brother, Zaharaddeen Umar Kaware, recounted, “Unfortunately, not long after that, we heard that he was shot on his waist by the police on Ring Road around Modoji Roundabout.” The police denied the killing of any personnel, stating an NSCDC operative was mistakenly reported as dead.
In Kebbi, businessman Sadiq Ahmed was killed by a stray bullet in Yauri. His relative, Usman Abubakar, said, “He was a promising young man. Nobody knew the protest would take a dangerous dimension in Yauri and cut his life short.”
In Kano, Maryam Musa, mother of 21-year-old Usman Isma’il Muhammad, who was killed during the protest, revealed she had encouraged him to participate. “Before heading out to join the protest, my son carefully selected his outfit… I was disoriented and lost sight of my son. I was later taken home on a motorcycle, unsure of what had become of him.”
She further lamented, “Usman was our breadwinner… The pain of losing Usman will forever be etched in my heart. I implore the government to intervene in my case and grant me the rights of my son who was taken from me in such a senseless tragedy.”
#Endbadgovernment: 21-year-Old Slan Protester.
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