In a nationwide protest against economic hardship, an unidentified man stripped naked to demonstrate the hunger affecting his family.
A video shared on social media shows the man removing his clothes and walking through the streets of Ojota, Lagos State, alongside other protesters. He joined in singing “Solidarity forever.”
Nigerians launched the #EndbadgovernanceinNigeria protest on Thursday, aiming to spotlight the severe hardship and hunger attributed to President Bola Tinubu’s economic policies.
Despite a court order confining the protests to specific areas, Lagos residents defied the restrictions.
In response, the Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP) warned security agencies against using force on peaceful protesters. This statement followed reports of police firing tear gas at peaceful demonstrators in Borno, Lagos, and Abuja.
“We condemn reports that Nigeria Police are firing tear gas at peaceful protesters in some parts of Nigeria. Nigerian authorities should respect the right to peaceful protest and allow Nigerians to demonstrate peacefully and journalists to report on the protests.”
“The overall approach to policing of protests should be guided by the concept of facilitation of the protests and should not from the outset be shaped by the anticipation of violence and use of force,” SERAP wrote on X, on Thursday.