Woman collapses after police fire tear gas at Abuja protesters
A female protester collapsed in Abuja on Friday after police officers fired tear gas to disperse peaceful protesters at the MKO Abiola Stadium.
The protesters dispersed after the police fired multiple rounds of tear gas at them. However, two sturdy protesters stayed back, defied the health hazard of the tear gas and called for help for the young woman who collapsed.
The woman has been taken to the hospital for treatment.
The police in Abuja, like in many other parts of Nigeria, have made it a habit to disrupt peaceful protests with tear gas without concern for the health implications of such.
PREMIUM TIMES reported how the police repeatedly used tear gas to disperse protesters in Abuja, on Thursday and Friday. However, the protesters regrouped each time and have vowed to continue their daily protest as part of the 10 days of rage called by the organisers.
How it happened
At about 5:00 p.m on Friday, the peaceful demonstrators, who were moving and chanting to the rhythm of the music from a moving van, were suddenly surrounded by the police officers in front and behind, leaving the protesters in the centre of the road behind the stadium.
The well kitted policemen suddenly fired multiple rounds of tear gas at the protesting crowd and the journalists covering the protest.
Some of the protesters and journalists fell into the roadside drainage channel, in an attempt to escape the tear gas.
Several protesters sustained injuries from the commotion, and shortly afterward, the young woman slumped on the grassy sidewalk of the stadium’s fence.
“This is Abuja, we will show them ( protesters) what we are made of,” PREMIUM TIMES heard one of the police officers say.
The security officials eventually moved away from the scene, while some protesters were seen calling for help from passersby.
After the incident, PREMIUM TIMES observed that the protesters could not regroup to continue the protest. At about 6:00 pm , only heavily armed police officers were seen by the main entrance to the MKO Abiola Stadium.
Today’s protests marked the second day of what the protest organisers christened the “#10daysofrage” demonstration. Their demands include the reintroduction of petrol subsidies and reduction in the salaries and allowances of public officials.
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