Two killed In Anti-Subsidy Protests

The mass protest by Nigerians from diverse walks of life to repudiate the fuel subsidy removal on Tuesday claimed its first human causality in Ilorin, Kwara State capital and Lokoja, Kogi State capital, even as the anti- subsidy march spreads to other parts of the country.

Leadership of the Nigerian Labour Congress, NLC and the Trade Union Congress, TUC, have been meeting to strategize on what they dubbed  “Mother of all strikes” billed for Wednesday.

There were conflicting reports by both the police and the Nigerian Labour Congress, over who was responsible for the death of a middle aged man found dead in the pool of blood in Ilorin. While the NLC claimed he died from gunshot by security operatives, the police claimed he might have been stabbed by a fellow protester.

Governor Abdulfatah Ahmed has immediately ordered an enquiry into the cause of the death of the yet to be identified youth while assuring the  citizenry that government has made adequate security arrangement to protect lives and property.

“Government would do everything within its constitutional powers to guarantee the safety of its citizens while appealing to the people not to allow opportunists hijack a legitimate protest for an undue political gain”, the governor said in a statement made available to newsmen shortly after the incident.

Kwara State Police Force Public Relations Officer, ASP Ezekiel Daboh, confirmed the death but denied culpability of any security operative in the incident which occurred near the General Post Office junction in Ilorin. According to him the protesters vandalized some petrol filling stations within the area Bonfire, apparently ignited by some protesters were visible around the Emir’s palace.

In a swift reaction, the NLC countered Daboh’s claim insisting that the victim fell by police bullets. NLC president, Comrade Abdulwaheed Omar, in a statement insisted the deceased was a victim of police bullet, adding that labour would hold the Jonathan administration responsible for the killing.

“It is with a heavy heart that the Congress announced the murder of an anti- fuel price hike protester. The perpetrators of this crime were armed policemen from the Area A Division, close to UBA, Ilorin and the state police command along Sulu Gambari Road, Ilorin’’, Omar stated.

The police, he continued falls under the direct control of the Presidency led by Dr Goodluck Jonathan.

‘’The NLC holds the Jonathan administration liable for this murder and advises it to fish out its agents who shot protesters in Ilorin and bring them to justice’’, he added

Also in Lokoja, the police reportedly killed one of the participants and injured several others during a stampede engendered by police tear gas. Expectedly the protests were most noticeable in Lagos, Abuja, the seat of federal government, Port Harcourt, Kano, Kaduna and the ever-busy Lokoja-Abuja highway where the protesters barricaded the road.

Businesses were generally paralyzed in the affected towns.

In Lagos, fiery lawyer Mr Femi Falana and former ASUU National  President Dr Fashina and other labour leaders, among other dignitaries led the anti-subsidy procession through major streets in the city.

The ever-busy Ikorodu expressway and major roads in Lagos metropolis were deserted while businesses were shut. The procession stopped briefly at the Yaba liaison office of the NLC where Falana, Fashina and otherse Chief Gani Fawehinmi motor park, Ojota.

Attempts by the police to disperse them however introduced a fiery dimension to the procession as of the protesters threw back canisters of tear gas fired at them by a police team.

In Ibadan youths led by the University of Ibadan students union president, Mr Tokunbo Salako marched round major streets in Ibadan, the Oyo State capital to condemn the subsidy removal.

The youths who demanded the immediate resignation of President Jonathan, Finance Minister, Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala and her Information counterpart, Mr Labaran Maku for deceiving Nigerians on the subsidy issue, marched to the Oyo State Governor’s office where they delivered a letter to Senator Abiola Ajimobi for onward transmission to the president.  Commending the protesters for being peaceful, governor Ajimobi said democracy entails that everyone should air his views freely on any

government policy without being gagged.

January 04, 2012