#EndBadGovernance: Thugs take over protest ground, vows to beat up journalists

Thugs, on Tuesday, took over the protest ground close to the Federal Secretariat in Port Harcourt, Rivers State, to prevent the #EndBadGovernance protest from taking place.

The thugs, wielding canes, said they did not want any protest in the state. They threatened to beat any journalists filming their actions, Channels Television reported.

The protest organisers are using social media to mobilise Nigerians in different cities to protest the hike in petrol and electricity prices and the cost of living crisis.

The Independence Day protest followed the initial 10-day protest held from 1 to 10 August where protesters demanded an end to bad governance, rising food prices and unemployment.

Some people arrested during the August protest are still held behind bars in various Correctional Centres in the country.

Unlike the August protest, the Independence Day protest has not gathered momentum nationwide. Only few people or no one at all turned out for the protest in Nigeria’s South-south region.

For instance, in Uyo, Akwa Ibom State, there was no protest. At the city centre, Ibom Plaza, residents went about their business and social activities. Many were not even aware of the plan for a nationwide protest.

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“Which protest, when and where? No, I am not aware. Maybe they are protesting in Abuja,” a resident, Emmanuel Edunam, told PREMIUM TIMES.

“Nothing will change in this country,” Mr Edunam said, sounding pessimistic. “Next time, let them vote Tinubu. Let the suffering continue.”

“No protest will change anything in this country,” Sunday Akpan, who sells shoes at the plaza, said. “Nigeria is for the rich while the poor continue to suffer. Our leaders have failed us.”