The protest against bad governance in Nigeria’s capital, which began on August 1 and is scheduled to continue until August 10, has seen a significant decrease in participation as it enters its third day.
As part of their strategy to manage the demonstration, the authorities in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) secured a court order confining the protesters to the MKO Abiola National Stadium. Despite the organizers’ request to use Eagle Square for their gathering, access was denied.
On the first day of the protest, demonstrators attempted to converge at Eagle Square but were dispersed by police using teargas after a prolonged standoff. Security personnel struggled to control various groups that obstructed roads and set fires across Abuja, while the protest at the stadium remained peaceful.
In contrast to the initial days, no protesters were present at the Abuja Stadium when journalists visited on Saturday morning. Police officers and journalists at the stadium were simply monitoring the situation.
One of the protest organizers in Abuja initially told reporters that they were at Berger Roundabout, but no protesters were found there. Shortly after, he mentioned they were holding a strategic meeting inside the stadium.
Supporters of the protest posted a video showing about 25 people dancing in a group, captioned “Day 3 Protest in Abuja, Protesters are already gathering in their numbers!” by an X user, @DAMADENUGA.
