The #EndBadGovernance protest, scheduled from August 1 to August 10, has lost momentum in Nigeria’s capital city,Daily Trust reports.
To manage the protest, Federal Capital Territory (FCT) authorities obtained a court order restricting the protesters to MKO Abiola National Stadium. The conveners had requested Eagle Square for their gathering but were denied access.
On the first day, the protesters headed to Eagle Square, where police dispersed them with teargas after hours of resistance. Security forces struggled to control different groups blocking roads and lighting bonfires across Abuja, while the protest at the stadium remained peaceful.
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Contrary to the initial turnout, no protesters were seen at the Abuja Stadium when Daily Trust visited on Saturday morning. Policemen and journalists were present, observing the situation.
“They’ve gone for the weekend,” mocked a policeman while chatting with his colleagues.
When contacted, one of the protest organizers claimed they were at Berger Roundabout, but no protesters were found there. Upon further inquiry, he stated they were having a strategic meeting inside the stadium.
Just before press time, some protest supporters posted a video showing about 25 people dancing in a group. The video, captioned “Day 3 Protest in Abuja, Protesters are already gathering in their numbers!” was posted by an X user, @DAMADENUGA. However, it is unclear when the one-minute, twenty-five-second video, featuring lead organizer Deji Adeyanju, was recorded, as current photographs and videos from the stadium did not show any protesters.
