BREAKING: Protesters Lose Momentum, Streets Deserted

The #EndBadGovernance protest, planned for August 1 to August 10, has lost momentum in Nigeria’s capital, Abuja.

To manage the protest, the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) authorities obtained a court order restricting protesters to the MKO Abiola National Stadium. The protest organizers had initially requested to use Eagle Square but were denied access.

On the first day, protesters attempted to gather at Eagle Square but were dispersed by police using teargas after hours of resistance. Security forces also struggled to control different groups that blocked roads and lit bonfires across Abuja, while the protest at the stadium remained peaceful.

However, by Saturday morning, not a single protester was seen at the Abuja Stadium. Policemen and journalists observed the empty stadium, with one policeman mocking the protesters, saying, “Them don go do weekend.”

When contacted, one of the protest organizers claimed they were at Berger Roundabout, but no protesters were found there either. Later, the organizer stated they were holding a strategic meeting inside the stadium.

Just before press time, some supporters posted a video showing about 25 people dancing in a group. The video, shared by @DAMADENUGA on X (formerly Twitter), was captioned, “Day 3 Protest in Abuja, Protesters are already gathering in their numbers!” The video included Deji Adeyanju, one of the lead organizers, but it was unclear when the video was recorded as current photographs and videos from the stadium showed no such activity.