News
Banks Shut, Roads Deserted As #EndBadGovernance Protest Begins Nationwide
By Kayode Sanni-Arewa
From FCT to Port Harcourt to Lagos State, banks, and businesses have been shut.
The roads are unusually deserted as protesters defy last-minute push by authorities to stop the demonstrations.
The usually bustling roads in Kaduna are empty and deserted as protesters take to the streets to express their grievances over poor living conditions.
Banks, markets, and business establishments are closed in Owerri as protesters have not yet arrived.#EndBadGovernanceProtest
The popular Ahmadu Bello Way located in the Central Business District of the Kaduna State capital is empty without the usual vehicular and human traffic.
On a normal day, this place would have been bubbling with economic activities by this time, but not at all today.
Public transportation systems are operating at reduced capacity because most commuters are staying indoors apparently due to fear.
In the Sokoto metropolis, there is a heavy security presence. It is the same thing in Damaturu the Yobe State capital. Residents of the area have shunned the protest.
At the proposed protest venue in Bauchi, opposite the School of Agriculture in Yelwan Labourer, there are no protesters as of now. Security personnel are on the ground to ensure the safety of lives and properties. The streets in Kano are empty while shops around the area are heavily guarded. But at the Zoo Road area in Kano State, people are chanting “Mu yunwa muke ji” meaning “we are hungry”.
The DPO of the police station in Alausa, Lagos has come to address the group.
She has asked the protesters to go to Gani Fawehinmi Park to air their grievances as Alausa is not the designated location
In Lagos State, a group of protesters are rallying against the demonstrations. They were in the Alausa area of the state but security operatives told them that the place is not designated for protest. At the Ikeja Underbridge, there is a procession.
They are marching from Ikeja Underbridge, en route to Alausa despite orders against street protest.
At the MKO Abiola Stadium in Abuja. The protesters (numbering about 50) are gathered at the entrance of the facility.
Some of the demonstrators in Port Harcourt recite the old national anthem as their form of protest
Among the protesters are members of the “Enough Is Enough” group. One of the co-convener, Deji Adeyanju says security officials have been cooperative so far with them.
There is a sizeable deployment of security personnel at the stadium, comprising police, army, and others.
Some senior officials of the Kwara State Local Government Service Commission have been kidnapped by gunmen along the Omu-Aran/Ilorin Road.
The victims were abducted on Friday evening.
Those kidnapped are: the Head of the Legal Department of Oke-Ero Local Government, Elizabeth Arinde, and the Head of Personnel Management of the council, whose name could not be immediately confirmed.
It was gathered on Saturday night that the two senior administrators were among seven individuals kidnapped at Corner Eleyin along the Omu-Aran/Ilorin Expressway while returning to Ilorin, the state capital, for the weekend on Friday, April 25, 2025.
The incident occurred at about 5:45pm where five gunmen ambushed the two private vehicles before leading the passengers into the bush.
The Kwara State Police Command has confirmed the incident.
This was contained in a statement signed by the Police Public Relations Officer, SP Adetoun Ejire-Adeyemi, on behalf of the Commissioner of Police, Adekimi Ojo, on Saturday.
The statement added “The Kwara State Police Command confirms a kidnap incident reported at about 5:45 p.m. on Friday, 25th April 2025, at Eleyin village via Isanlu-Isin. It was reported that about five armed men blocked the highway, stopping two private vehicles, forcefully taking all occupants to an unknown location.
“Following the report, the command, in collaboration with the military and vigilantes, launched a swift operation, leading to the successful rescue of two victims, Ganiyu Ajayi and Kolawole Adeyemi.
“Efforts are ongoing to rescue the remaining five victims and apprehend the perpetrators.
“The command has intensified security measures across the area, including aggressive bush combing, strategic patrols, and intelligence-driven operations to prevent further occurrences”
The Chief of Civil-Military Affairs (Army), Major General Gold Chibuisi, has condemned the harassment and assault of civilians unlawfully wearing military uniforms, stressing that while such acts are illegal, the Nigerian Army does not support violence against offenders.
Speaking during a media chat with Defence correspondents on Saturday night in Abuja, Maj. Gen. Chibuisi said that although it is against Nigerian law for non-military personnel to wear military uniforms, soldiers must act professionally and lawfully when handling such cases.
“I’m surprised that in most briefs we give in our programmes, we always talk about this uniform issue because it keeps recurring. It’s against the law of the land. If you are not in the armed forces, please don’t use our uniform, whether you love it or not.
“But that’s one part of it. Let people stop it. The other part is what we do, what our troops do when they see somebody dressed in a military uniform. You’re supposed to just get the person to remove it, arrest, and hand it over to the police, basically for persecution. All these other things that come with it are not right. And we are doing sensitisation on them.”
He said many soldiers had been sanctioned for assaulting Nigerians who wore military camouflage.
” Those that we find and there is evidence that they did that, we always sanction them sternly. And we’ll continue to do that, ” Chibuisi said.
He appealed to citizens to avoid wearing military uniforms illegally, noting that respecting the uniform is an important part of strengthening national security and building trust between the military and the public.
Chibuisi noted that criminals increasingly exploit military uniforms to commit crimes, making it harder for civilians and security agencies to identify genuine soldiers.
“Currently, there are a lot of criminals using military garb to perpetrate crime. If people keep dressing like that, how do you differentiate between a criminal and a genuine soldier?”
He urged families and communities to help with sensitization at the home level.
“If somebody you know is not in the military comes out in the morning, and he wants to jog or drive somewhere wearing our uniform, you should tell him not to, “he said.
Chibuisi also reminded the public that the Army belongs to the people and should be seen as part of their families, not as distant or fearsome figures.
“There is no army that doesn’t want itself to be seen as working for the people. We are the Nigerian Army. The Nigerian people own us.”
As part of efforts to foster better understanding, the Army, he said, is strengthening its sensitisation campaigns both internally among troops and externally to the wider public.
“We are fine-tuning the conduct of our personnel.
“And I believe as we keep interacting, the relationship will continue to improve, ” he said.
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