Panic in Abuja as police crack down on #FearlessInOctober protesters

ABUJA – Nigerian police on Tuesday fired teargas at hundreds of protesters participating in the #FearlessInOctober demonstration against poverty, hardship, and bad governance in Abuja.
The crackdown, which occurred in the Jabi and Utako areas of the Federal Capital Territory, forced residents to flee and protesters to scamper for safety.
The demonstrations on Tuesday were a part of a national movement that called for an end to unstable economies, bad governance, and economic misery.

The slogans "We are hungry" and "Enough is Enough - Revolution Now" were carried by protestors.

Nigerians are facing increasing food prices, rising fuel prices, and pervasive poverty at the time of the protests. Nowadays, a bag of rice costs almost N100,000, and fuel is considerably more expensive than N1,000.

Witnesses claimed to have seen demonstrators hurt during the police crackdown, although the organisers have not yet made the official death toll public.

"The Nigerian government seeks to repress, suppress, and oppress the Nigerian people to the point where they become too afraid to express their fundamental rights," one of the demonstrators was heard saying before they were split up.

Nonetheless, we are demonstrating to the government today via our activities here that our voices can never be silenced. The government should not expect us to remain quiet in the face of our poverty, suffering, insecurity, and poor leadership in every sector. A bag of rice costs about N100,000, and we are buying fuel for over N1,000. And you say that is not enough? No.”
The demonstrations known as #FearlessInOctober attracted Nigerians from all walks of life on Tuesday morning.
The purpose of the protests was to put pressure on the government to improve living conditions and deal with the nation's economic problems.