Nigeria President Urges End to Protests, Says State Will Act
Nigerian President Urges End to Protests, Warns State Will Act
Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari called for an end to mass protests against police brutality in which dozens of people have died, as he warned the authorities will act to protect lives and property.
Addressing the nation on state television, Buhari said protesters should “resist the temptation of being used by some subversive elements to cause chaos” and undermine democracy. “For you to do otherwise will amount to undermining national security. Under no circumstances will this be tolerated.”
It was the first time Buhari has addressed protesters directly, one of their key demands since the rallies began more than two weeks ago. He’s largely remained silent through the growing crisis, mainly using aides and statements to deliver his response to calls for reforms.
The protests that erupted in Africa’s most populous nation and biggest oil producer on Oct. 5 have spread to about half of Nigeria’s 36 states, posing the most serious challenge yet to Buhari’s authority. They’ve also dealt another blow to an economy that was already reeling from the coronavirus pandemic.
At least 56 people have died in protest-related violence, with 38 of them killed on Tuesday alone, when the authorities began a crackdown, according to human-rights group Amnesty International. The government hasn’t announced a death toll.
Fighting broke out in Lagos Friday between gangs of Hausa speakers from the north and Yorubas from the southwest, residents and witnesses said, as the crisis assumed an ethnic dimension. And in the southern oil hub of Port Harcourt, the authorities imposed a curfew on the Oyigbo district after clashes between ethnic Igbos and Hausa speakers.
Most of the demonstrators are young adults who don’t appear to have a clearly defined leadership structure and communicate using social media, which the government says has frustrated efforts to negotiate with them.
The largely peaceful demonstrations persisted even after Buhari promised to disband a police unit at the center of the brutality allegations. He reiterated the government’s commitment to further police reforms on Thursday, and highlighted government youth-development programs.
Buhari’s speech will do little to appease the protesters and demonstrations are likely to continue once curfews are lifted, said Cheta Nwanze, an analyst at Lagos-based SBM Intelligence.
“In saying nothing of note, and refusing to show any empathy for the plight of the people he purports to govern, he has alienated a generation that is really motivated by high youth unemployment and a sharply rising cost of living,” Nwanze said.
©2020 Bloomberg L.P.