As the #EndBadGovernance protests kicked off in the federal capital territory, Abuja, police attempted to manage the growing crowd of protesters who were chanting anti-government slogans.
During the incident, several canisters were fired by anti-riot police, one of which hit News Central’s camera operator, Mary Adebayo, in the foot. She was promptly rushed to the hospital and has since been stabilised.
Despite the heavy police presence and aggressive crowd control tactics, protesters remain resolute, vowing not to back down until the government addresses their demands.
In response, Amnesty International condemned killings of peaceful protesters, adding that the use of firearms by Nigerian security agencies for the tactical management of protests must stop.
On its verified X account on Friday, the human rights organisation called on the government to ensure that justice is handed down to those responsible for the gruesome killing of protesters.
“The Nigerian authorities must investigate these incidents and ensure that security personnel suspected of responsibility for deadly use of force are held to account through fair trial. Violent crackdown on peaceful protesters is unjustified and unacceptable.
“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 group said.
The #EndBadGovernance protest occasioned by President Bola Tinubu’s policies turned violent in some states as thousands of Nigerians began a 10-day nationwide demonstrations. Over 16 persons were killed in Borno, Kaduna and Niger States during the protests.