We’ll Be Back: Abuja Protesters Vow to Return Stronger Until Tinubu Responds

Protesters thronged the Lokogoma Expressway in Abuja on Saturday morning to conclude the 10-day protests organized by the Take It Back movement. The march, which began in Lokogoma and ended at Apo, saw participants chanting, “We are hungry,” as they voiced their frustrations.

The Take It Back movement, which declared the 10 Days of Rage nationwide protests against the economic hardship in Nigeria, sharply criticized President Bola Tinubu’s reluctance to address the demands of the masses. Among their demands were the reversal of the fuel subsidy removal and the lowering of electricity tariffs.

Abiodun Sanusi, an activist at the protest, stated that it had become evident that President Tinubu was not prepared to “listen to the demands” of the people, despite 10 days of continuous protests.

Sanusi emphasized that the protesters were undeterred by the president’s inaction, stating that they would temporarily pause the demonstrations but warned that they would return with even greater numbers if their demands continued to be ignored.

“Earlier on, we declared a 10-day rage to end bad governance in Nigeria. However, it is now clear that President Bola Tinubu is not ready to listen to the demands of Nigerians,” Sanusi said at the protest’s final stop in Apo, Abuja, on Saturday.

“Today marks the final day of the 10 days of rage, but we are promising the Nigerian government and President Tinubu that we will return until he accedes to our demands,” Sanusi stressed.

“We will be back on the streets, and this time, we will be more than this. We will be organizing a 10 million-people march across the 36 states of Nigeria and the FCT,” he added.

Demonstrators carried placards with various inscriptions such as “Bring back corruption-free fuel subsidy,” “Rent must be monthly,” and “Nigerians are tired of bad leaders.”

The protests were met with a heavy-handed response from security forces, with reports of live bullets being fired at journalists and protesters in Abuja, Kaduna, and other states. On Tuesday, the Nigerian Army admitted to mistakenly killing a teenage boy, Ismail Mohammed, during the protest in Samaru town, Zaria.