Nigerians return to the streets despite President's plea

ABUJA, Nigeria

Protests against economic hardship continued for a fifth day in several Nigerian states on Monday, a day after the president called for an end to the demonstrations that have faced a crackdown from security forces.

Far fewer protesters were seen compared to earlier demonstrations that drew thousands, mostly young people. Hundreds showed up in the economic hub of Lagos and a few northern states.

At least 13 people have been reported dead in the protests which began on Thursday against the West African nation’s worst cost-of-living crisis in a generation and against the corruption and alleged bad governance that have stifled its development.

Nigerian security forces have been accused of using excessive force in the protests.

On Monday, President Bola Tinubu met with security chiefs in the capital, Abuja. A curfew was declared in northern Kaduna state — the sixth state to take such a measure since the protests began — after reports of looting.

The cost-of-living crisis is fueled by surging inflation, at a 28-year high, and government economic policies that have pushed the local currency to record lows against the dollar.

Tinubu on Sunday said his government was committed to addressing citizens’ concerns. But he provided no plan, according to the Lagos-based SBM Intelligence research firm.

A few protesters were seen waving Russian flags over the weekend and again on Monday in northern Nigeria, whose population is among the worst affected. The Russian embassy in Nigeria denied any responsibility, saying in a statement that the flags are personal choices of the protesters and “do not reflect any official position or policy of the Russian Government.”

The Russian flags being waved constitute treason and would be treated as such, Nigeria’s military chief Christopher Musa said after meeting with Tinubu.

Pro-Russian sentiments have been growing in parts of West Africa, where Moscow is increasingly welcomed by militaries that have staged coups and severed ties with the West. One is in Nigeria’s northern neighbor, Niger, where French and American troops have been asked to leave and Russia has been chosen as a new security partner.

On Sunday, Tinubu warned protesters not to let “the enemies of democracy use you to promote an unconstitutional agenda” in Nigeria, which currently holds the rotational chairmanship position of West Africa’s regional bloc.

Nigeria’s secret service said it had apprehended some tailors in northern Kano state it said were responsible for making Russian flags being distributed in the area. It said an investigation was ongoing.