The police, on Wednesday, arrested women who spearheaded a protest against rising cost of food and hunger in the country under President Bola Tinubu.
It was reported on Monday that protesters hit the streets of Minna, Niger state capital, lamenting rising cost of food and severe hunger in the country under Mr Tinubu’s watch.
However, Wasiu Abiodun, Niger state police spokesperson, confirmed the arrest of Aisha Jibrin, the leader of the protest, and 24 others.
In a statement on Wednesday, Amnesty International condemned “the Nigerian authorities for the arrest of Aisha Jibrin, Fatima Aliyu, Fatima Isyaku and twenty-two others in Minna Niger state; for participating in protest against the staggering cost of living crisis people are facing nationwide.”
This arrest of protesters comes barely nine months into Mr Tinubu’s government. A market survey conducted at Mararaba Market, Nasarawa State on Wednesday showed that prices of most food items have increased by almost 100 per cent compared to what was obtainable last May, when Mr Tinubu assumed office.
Inflation accelerated after Mr Tinubu’s sudden announcement of the removal of the petrol subsidy in his inaugural speech on May 29, 2023, followed later by the CBN’s policy of floating the naira.
Though lauded by experts, the duo policies of Mr Tinubu have seen petrol prices rise from N145 per litre to N630, while the naira plunges against the dollar at the parallel market, trading at about N1,500 to $1.
Nigerians have cried out over economic hardship with inflation and food prices spiking under Mr Tinubu’s watch. Earlier in the week, protests over soaring food prices rocked two northern states, Niger and Kano.
Some Yoruba market women in Ogun lambasted Mr Tinubu for promulgating economic policies that negatively affect the prices of goods and cause untold hardship for Nigerians, threatening to beat the president up if they saw him.
Mr Tinubu acknowledged the country’s prevalent hardship but urged Nigerians to show understanding.
“The financial re-engineering of our country is ongoing. We are determined to deliver Nigeria safely through the tunnel of hope, stability, and economic prosperity,” said Mr Tinubu in December.
