Police disrupted Democracy Day demonstration in Abuja on Friday with tear gas canisters fired at protesters, including activist Omoyele Sowore, during a march against insecurity and hardship in Nigeria.
There was confusion and panic around Eagle Square as security operatives of the Nigeria Police Force allegedly used tear gas to disperse demonstrators approaching the area.
The protest formed part of a nationwide mobilisation by a coalition of civil society organisations demanding urgent government action on rising insecurity, economic difficulties, and worsening living conditions across the country.
Demonstrators were reportedly moving from the Berger Bus Stop toward Eagle Square in Abuja, calling for an end to insecurity, the rescue of abducted schoolchildren, and improved governance when the confrontation occurred.
Videos from the scene showed protesters running in different directions to avoid the tear gas, while Sowore was seen being assisted by fellow demonstrators after appearing to struggle for breath.
He was later seen lying on the ground receiving help from others at the protest location.
Sowore later accused police operatives of using what he described as “strange gas” at close range during the demonstration.
“Today, operatives of the Nigeria Police Force deployed a strange gas at the protest ground, at close range, which entered my lungs and left me struggling to breathe before I eventually collapsed,” he said in a post on X.
He argued that the incident reflects what he called increasingly harsh methods being used to silence dissent and intimidate citizens exercising constitutional rights.
According to him, “The objective of the Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu regime is to silence, destroy, and crush all opposition through fear and force.
”We shall never succumb to any of his worn-out tactics. We will keep going until we achieve liberation.”
The police have not yet issued an official response regarding the incident at the time of this report.
Human rights group Amnesty International condemned what it described as a “reckless attack on peaceful protesters” during the Democracy Day demonstration in Abuja, where Sowore reportedly collapsed and was later taken to hospital.
“The deliberate targeting of Sowore must be investigated. Such targeting of activists solely for exercising freedom of assembly is unlawful and shows utter disregard for the rule of law,” the organisation stated on X.
It further alleged that Nigerian authorities were resorting to violence to suppress fundamental freedoms, including expression and peaceful assembly.
“President Tinubu’s government has failed to demonstrate commitment to upholding the country’s constitution and its international human rights obligations that allow people to freely exercise their human rights, including the rights to freedom of expression and peaceful assembly,” Amnesty International added.
