Popular social media influencer, Martins Vincent Otse, aka VeryDarkMan, has accused the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, of trying to bully protesters in the nation’s capital.
VeryDarkMan, who spoke moments before police tear-gassed protesters at the Berger Roundabout in Abuja on Friday, also urged President Ahmed Tinubu to address Nigerians amid the ongoing protest across the country.
“Government should address us, Tinubu should address us. Wike is trying to bully us and it is not fair.”
This is coming as protesters begin Day Two of the ongoing hunger protest in Abuja, Lagos, and other parts of the country.
Recall that an Abuja High Court had earlier granted a request to restrict protesters to the MKO Abiola National Stadium in Abuja.
Wike had on Thursday night urged protesters to obey the court order but leaders of the protesters claimed they had not been served with a copy of the order.
EndBadGovernance: Wike trying to bully us, Tinubu must address Nigerians – VeryDarkMan
EndBadGovernance: Wike trying to bully us, Tinubu must address Nigerians – VeryDarkMan
NEPC, Customs urge proper documentation for cross-border trade
The Nigerian Export Promotion Council, in collaboration with the Akwa Ibom State Committee on Export Promotion and the Nigerian Customs Service, has stressed the need for stakeholders in the export business to prioritise efforts on proper documentation to boost cross-border trade. They stated this in Uyo on Wednesday during the first phase of the Strategic
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Protest dies down in Sokoto, businesses reopen slowly
As the nationwide protest against bad governance enters the second day, normalcy is gradually returning to Sokoto State as all the major streets were devoid of protesters on Friday morning.
Our correspondent who monitored the exercise in the state observed that all the major streets such as Bello Way, Gusau Road, Sultan Palace, Government House and Emir Yahya Roads are all deserted by protesters.
Recall that all the major streets including the front gate of the state Government house were occupied by protesters on Thursday when the protests began.
It was also gathered that some traders, especially along the old market, Sahara, and Central market slightly opened their shops for business transactions on Friday.
Meanwhile, banks as well as some government offices remain under lock as at the time of filing this report.
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You can’t tell us where to protest – VeryDarkMan to Wike
Controversial social media critic, Martin Otse, popularly known as VeryDarkMan, has said the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, cannot tell protesters in Abuja where to protest.
Speaking before police tear-gassed protesters at the Berger Roundabout in Abuja on Friday, VeryDarkMan said they did not need to go to the stadium since they were not footballers like Victor Osimhen or Jay Jay Okocha.
“We are not dogs, we are not sheep. Wike cannot tell us where to go to the stadium to protest. Nigeria is our country, and it is our right to protest.”
The social media critic could be heard in another video saying, “Wike, this is not the Nigeria we want. We are not “fighting anybody. See what your boys are doing. Wike, it is our right to protest.”
TVN recalls that the nationwide protest started on Thursday in Abuja and other parts of the country to demand an end to hunger and bad governance.
You can’t tell us where to protest – VeryDarkMan to Wike
Protesters, police clash averted in Rivers
A clash between protesting youths and men of the counter-terrorism unit of the Nigeria Police Force was averted on Friday — the second day of the nationwide hunger protest.
Trouble started when men of the counter-terrorism unit were on a show of force along the popular Aba Road and ran into the protesters at the Pleasure Park, in Port Harcourt, Rivers State.
The operatives, in several patrol trucks, then asked the youths to leave the road to pave the way for them, but the protesters chorused ‘No! No! How many people police go kill?”
The armed operatives insisted that they vacate the road with some alighting from their trucks as tension built up in what could be described as a near-clash situation.
But sensing danger, the protest leaders asked the youths to clear the road and calmness was restored.
Meanwhile, the state Commissioner of Police, Olatunji Disu, who got wind of the near clash, raced to the scene afterwards where he addressed the protesters and appealed to them not to block the roads.
Disu stated, “I must commend you for being peaceful and conducting yourselves well since yesterday when this protest began. It is your right to protest, but please don’t do anything that will disrupt public peace and don’t infringe on the rights of other citizens.
“I have an appeal. Please don’t block the roads. Don’t block the road. If you do so, you will be infringing on the rights of others who are using the roads.
“I will leave the Deputy Commissioner of Police with you and I assure you that nobody and no officer will intimidate nor harass you as long as you continue to conduct yourselves in a peaceful and orderly manner.”
In response, one of the protesters stressed that they had been peaceful since Thursday and assured the CP that they would remain so.
He stated, “Sir, I hope the DC is peaceful. Since yesterday, we have been protesting peacefully and we went to the Government House where the Governor addressed us.
“But please, tell your men not to intimidate us. We are on a peaceful protest against bad government in Nigeria. We want the return of the fuel subsidy. We call on the President to also subsidise electricity.
“There is so much hunger, poverty and suffering. The cost of living is too much. President Bola Tinubu must do something or resign from office. We are tired. “
Amnesty Int’l claims 13 #EndBadGovernanceInNigeria protesters killed in Day 1
Amnesty International stated on Friday that 13 protesters were allegedly killed by security forces across Nigeria, on the first day of the #EndBadGovernance protests across the country.
The human rights body condemned the killing calling the incident “unjustified and unacceptable.”
Isa Sanusi, the Country Director, stated this in a statement on Friday.
“The Nigerian authorities must investigate these incidents impartially and effectively and ensure that security personnel suspected of responsibility for the alleged deadly use of force are held to account through fair trial,” Sanusi said.
The organization reported that the killings took place in Suleja, Niger State, where six individuals were killed and dozens were severely injured; Maiduguri, where four were killed; and Kaduna, where three were killed.
Amnesty International also raised concerns about the Nigerian authorities’ “growing hostility to dissent” and the “relentless repression of the right to freedom of peaceful assembly.”
“Our findings, so far, show that security personnel at the locations where lives were lost deliberately used tactics designed to kill while dealing with gatherings of people protesting hunger and deep poverty,” the statement noted.
The organization urged the Nigerian government to address the impact of recent reforms on economic, social, and cultural rights, including access to health and education.
Read also: Social media users descend on Ogun Gov, Abiodun, for calling Nigerians sore losers
“All those arrested for participating in the protests must be released immediately and unconditionally. Authorities must also end the rampant violations of the people’s rights to peaceful assembly and freedom of expression,” Sanusi added.
In response, the Niger State Police Command, through its Police Public Relations Officer Wasiu Abiodun, acknowledged disturbances at the Tafa Local Government Council Secretariat, where miscreants looted, vandalized, and partially set the building on fire.
Abiodun reported that vehicles were damaged and burned, and security forces responded by making arrests and dispersing the perpetrators.
Abiodun stated that no lives were lost during these incidents. While some miscreants were injured in the commotion and received medical treatment, there was no report of fatalities, and protesters were dispersed with minimal force.
The post Amnesty Int’l claims 13 #EndBadGovernanceInNigeria protesters killed in Day 1 appeared first on Latest Nigeria News | Top Stories from TVN.
#EndBadGovernanceInNigeria protest resumes in Plateau
Protesting residents in Jos, the Plateau State capital, resumed the second day of the #EndBadGovernanceInNigeria protest on Friday, calling for an end to bad governance and economic hardship.
The protest, which started around 7 am on Friday, August 2, 2024, marks the second day of the nationwide demonstration.
Unlike the first day in Jos, where angry protesters gathered at different locations to voice their grievances, on Friday, the protesters only converged at the Old Airport Junction in the state capital, singing and dancing, while many displayed placards denouncing the plight of Nigerians.
Our correspondent, who was monitoring the situation, observed that most shops within the state capital opened for business, unlike the previous day.
Security operatives were also seen mounting surveillance in strategic locations.
Some protesters who spoke with our correspondent, including a former Minister of Youths and Sports, Solomon Dalung, maintained that they would continue with the protests until the Federal Government addresses their demands.
Dalung said, “I am on my way to the protest ground. Unfortunately, the government seems not to understand the magnitude of the issues Nigerians are facing. We did not want the people to take to the streets, which is why we gave them (the government) a 40-day notice before the protest. Instead of addressing the concerns fuelling the protest, the government resorted to various tactics to prevent it, yet Nigerians resisted their attempts and came out for the protest.
“The protest recorded over 70 per cent success on day one, given the number of Nigerians who participated across the country. So, we will continue with the protest, and it is up to the government to take action because the government belongs to the people.”
Turkey arrests 99 suspected Islamic state members
Turkey’s Interior Minister said on Friday that 99 suspected members of the Islamic State jihadist group had been detained in recent raids across the country.
The arrests were made mainly in Ankara and Izmir in the west, as well as in the centre, east, and south, Interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya posted on X.
“99 suspects have been arrested in the GURZ-4 operations over the past three days,” Yerlikaya said.
“We will not tolerate any terrorists,” he added.
Turkish authorities have made several mass arrests of alleged IS members in recent years, most recently a roundup of 147 people announced in March.
After those arrests, Yerlikaya said police had detained a total of 2,919 people suspected of links to the jihadist group.
Two of the assailants who massacred 145 people at the Crocus City Hall in Moscow last March—an attack for which IS claimed responsibility—had spent several weeks in Turkey before heading to Russia, according to local authorities.
NAN
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IED kills one, injures 11 in Maiduguri — Police
The Borno Police Command has said that an Improvised Explosive Device in another attack in Maiduguri resulted in the death of one male victim, with 11 others sustaining various degrees of injuries.
The Police Commissioner, Yusuf Lawal, disclosed this on Friday while providing a situation report to the News Agency of Nigeria.
He said the incident occurred during a protest against bad governance at Deribe Junction near Federal Government Girls’ College Monguno Annex Bulumkutu area, Maiduguri.
Lawal said that the injured victims were taken to the State Specialist Hospital Maiduguri for treatment while the corpse was given for autopsy.
He said that the police swiftly deployed personnel of the Explosive Ordnance Device, Base 13, who probed the scene and rendered the area around a filling station safe.
“In a separate incident, a case of culpable homicide was reported in Biu local government area,” Lawal said.
The commissioner said that one Muhammad Wakshama reported that his son-in-law, Ibrahim Bulama, had a misunderstanding with his wife, Maryam Ibrahim, and hit her with a stick on the head, resulting in serious injury.
According to him, the victim was taken to the General Hospital Biu for treatment but was confirmed dead on Thursday.
He added that the suspect was arrested and an exhibit was recovered while the investigation was ongoing.
Lawal said that these incidents brought the total number of deaths in the state to 17 in the past 48 hours, with many others injured.
“The Borno command assures the citizens that investigations are ongoing and that normality has been restored,” he said.
NAN.
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Hunger protest day 2: Nigeria law is against you – Protesters urge police to join them [VIDEO]
Protesters have urged the Nigeria police to withdraw their triggers and support them in the ongoing nationwide hunger protest.
The protesters made the call in Ojota Lagos on Friday, during the day 2 of the 10 days protest.
TVN reports that Nigerians on Thursday August 1, commenced a 10 days nationwide protest tagged ‘EndBadGovernance’ following the country’s economic hardship.
Following the success of day 1, protesters are already gathering for day 2 across the nation.
Some Lagos protesters that converged at Ojota, shared videos of them addressing the security operatives that seemed to have come to attack them.
One of the protesters with megaphones, said in pidgin “Make una no pull [the trigger]. I beg make una hold the trigger because you guys are supposed to be earning what the senators are earning but instead na una dey guide people wey dey loot.
“It is time you have to stand with the people (protesters) who can speak for you because the law you serve is against you.
“So stand with the civilians, stand with the people because the guns you are holding today you will drop it and another person will take over from you. That is why you have to use it well and not kill us.”
In response to the protesters, the security operatives immediately turned their back and walked away.
Watch the video below;
Day 2: Protesters in Ojota Lagos are defiant!!
I love the spirit. We must #EndBadGovernanceInNigeria pic.twitter.com/qP4Uzfgm7q
— FS Yusuf (@FS_Yusuf_) August 2, 2024
Hunger protest day 2: Nigeria law is against you – Protesters urge police to join them [VIDEO]
