Police continue to repress nonviolent protestors in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), forcing them to remain at the Moshood Abiola National Stadium. The police have mercilessly scattered the demonstrators with tear gas whenever they attempt to march into the city center. In spite of this, the demonstrators have shown tenacity. For the most part, the first two days of the protest have been uneventful. Although the administration has come under fire for using force against demonstrators, the looting and riots in a few Northern states have contributed to the government’s attempts to further undermine the protest movement. A lawyer for one of the organizations that organized the protest, the “Take It Back movement,” Ebun- Olu Adegboruwa, demanded on Friday that the demonstration should come to an end
Despite the fact that there is evident weariness in some places, it is unclear if the protestors will pay attention to Mr. Adegboruwa. On Friday, there were a lot less protestors in Abuja than there had been on the first day. It took more than five hours to get enough people to show up. In addition, a lot of people are discouraged by the violence and looting in the North. The Friday Jummat sermon was another tool utilized by a number of clerics to discourage people from carrying out the protests. What effect this will have on the demonstrators is still to be seen. President Bola Tinubu has declined to speak to the public in the midst of all of this. Many demonstrators declared that if the president was prepared to address them, they would be willing to vacate the street.