This special edition of the weekly update spotlights the ongoing mass protest in Nigeria with a focus on the Niger Delta region. Since the 1st of August 2024, thousands of residents, mostly youths, have taken to the streets to protest economic hardship caused by rising inflation across the country. The mass protest which started as a campaign against poor governance, corruption and rising cost of living, has snowballed into mass demonstrations and sit-ins, and targeted destruction of public and private infrastructure by hoodlums. In the Niger Delta, many incidents of violence, including clashes between protesters and government security forces, vandalism, and disruption of economic activities, have been reported, particularly in Delta and Rivers States. On August 02, 2024, for instance, a resident was reportedly shot and injured during a clash between a group of protesters and some police officers at Otovwodo Junction in Ughelli North LGA, Delta State. On August 07, 2024, hoodlums reportedly beat up two protesters and harassed a female journalist who was covering the protest in Port Harcourt, the Rivers State capital.

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