In Nigeria, protests date back to pre-colonial times. Sections of what is known as Nigeria today used it to push against colonial administration and practices. A classic example is the Aba women’s riot in 1929 against British colonial authorities’ tax policies. Post-independent demonstrations include the Ali Must Go protest in 1978, a student-led rally against tuition fee hikes.
Twenty-first-century Nigeria has recorded other forms of protest, such as the massive hashtag#OccupyNigeria movement in 2012 and the hashtag#EndSARS protest eight years later. These protests were against fuel subsidies and police brutality. The 2020 protest against police brutality was markedly different. Despite the age of Nigeria’s democracy, security operatives clamped down on protesters nationwide. The Nigerian Military was reported to have used live ammunition on peaceful protesters who mounted a tollgate in Lekki, Lagos, Nigeria, in defiance of the government’s pleas for dialogue.
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