Lagos, Nigeria – August 5 – Mass protests against the soaring cost of living in Nigeria appeared to dwindle on Monday as security forces maintained a heavy presence in major cities. The demonstrations, which erupted last Thursday, had seen hundreds of thousands take to the streets in cities like Abuja and Lagos to demand relief from economic hardship and insecurity.
However, a forceful police response and a call for calm from President Bola Tinubu have seemingly dampened the protests’ momentum. At least 13 people have been killed in clashes with security forces since the demonstrations began, according to Amnesty International. The police have reported a lower death toll, attributing some fatalities to accidents and an explosive device.
In Lagos, once a hotbed of protest activity, only a small group of demonstrators gathered on Monday, their voices barely a whisper compared to the previous days’ outcries. The usually bustling protest venue in Abuja remained eerily quiet.
To quell escalating unrest, authorities have imposed curfews in parts of the north and central Plateau state. Despite the violence, President Tinubu has reiterated his commitment to dialogue while defending the government’s economic reforms, including fuel subsidy removal and naira devaluation.
