#EndBadGovernance: One person confirmed dead after police shoot at protesters in Niger

At least one protester has been confirmed dead after police fired tear gas to disperse demonstrators in Suleja, Niger State, on Thursday.

Neighbours and the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) confirmed the death of Yahaya Isah, who was reportedly hit by a stray bullet during the protest against bad governance.

PREMIUM TIMES reported the protests, held in various Nigerian towns on Thursday. The police used force, including firing tear gas, to disperse protesters in some cities like Abuja and Suleja.

Mr Isah was reportedly hit by a stray bullet while riding his motorcycle near the Suleja Police Station where the Niger protesters gathered.

There were reports that many people were shot in the violence but a resident of the area, Ismaila Liman, told PREMIUM TIMES that he could only confirm two.

He named the two as Mr Isah and Mallam Abu, who he said also died on the spot.

The Chairman of the Suleja branch of NBA, Abdullahi Liman, confirmed only Mr Isah’s death to the Daily Trust newspaper.

“I got information that a man was shot dead and I came to the house of the victim (Mr Isah) to confirm things for myself and I have seen the corpse,” the lawyer said.

‘Many were shot’

Some residents of the area said three others were shot at the same scene as Mr Isah, while two more were shot at the Suleja Junction. However, it is unclear if these victims survived and PREMIUM TIMES has not been able to confirm the actual number of victims involved.

The situation in Suleja is tense, with residents describing the scene as ugly.

When contacted, Wasiu Abiodun, the police spokesperson in Niger, said he had “not received any report of such.”

However, he shared a statement explaining how the police arrested 11 “violent protesters” in the state.

Mr Abiodun, a police superintendent, claimed that the suspects vandalised and set ablaze the secretariat of Tafa Local Government Area in Sabon Wuse, Niger State.

“Two cars were also burnt and two others vandalised,” he wrote. “They further looted valuables there-in.”

According to him, the suspects who wielded “different dangerous weapons” were dispersed from the scene.

PREMIUM TIMES reported the nationwide protest against government policies such as removal of petrol subsidies.

The policies have led to Nigeria’s worst cost of living crisis in a generation but the government says the policies are essential and the economy would soon improve.

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The government appealed to Nigerians not to embark on the protests but the organisers remained defiant and held the protests in several states.

The protest turned violent in places like Abuja, Kano, Niger, Gombe and Jigawa states.