The family of 24-year-old tailor Abubakar Adam Abdullahi is demanding justice after accusing police of killing him in the northern Nigerian city of Kaduna during nationwide protests over the high cost of living.
Local police deny any role in his death, and a spokesman for the Kaduna state governor says they are not aware of any deaths linked to the protests there.
This is disputed by the human rights organization Amnesty International, which says three people have been killed in Kaduna alone.
Speaking on behalf of the family, Abubakar’s brother Ismail told the BBC that the tailor was shot in the chest by police on Thursday and later died at Yusuf Dantsoho Hospital.
“All we want is justice for our brother,” says Ismail.
Across Nigeria, at least seven people have been killed, 700 people have been arrested and elite police have arrested one of the protest leaders since the demonstrations began five days ago, according to police.
Despite warnings from President Bola Tinubu, thousands of Nigerians joined the protests, concerned about the rising cost of living and inspired by the success of young Kenyans who, through their protests, managed to win major concessions from the government.
Among the protesters was Abubakar, the youngest of 14 children, who lived with his parents in Kaduna with big ambitions for his career and hopes of starting a family of his own.
But rising costs pushed that future further and further out of his reach, and he decided to join the protests.
“As a tailor, the money for the materials he used had gone up – including food – and he also had to pay higher rent. Everyone is affected by this economic crisis,” says Ismail.
Video footage from the time of Abubakar’s death shows him among a group of young men shouting frantically at police before trying to run away as if they were being chased.
According to Abubakar’s brother, who spoke to witnesses, they were near the office of Kaduna Governor Uba Sani at the time. Abubakar then told his friends that he was tired and wanted to go home.
Moments later, police opened fire on the protesters, witnesses said.
Video footage shows Abubakar falling to the ground. His friends can be heard shouting “officer stop” and “they shot him” in Hausa.
“It was shocking when we got a call to come to the hospital after he was shot because we knew he wasn’t violent,” Ismail told the BBC.
He can’t imagine how this could happen to the kind, caring, hardworking brother he knew.
“Later we saw videos of him sitting or talking to friends during the protest, which also proved that he did not misbehave,” he added.
Mohammed Lawal Shehu, spokesman for the Kaduna state governor, says no deaths have been reported in the protests as authorities are relying on the police, who say no deaths have been reported.
“According to the police, there have been no deaths during the protests and we rely on them for information.”
Amnesty International is calling for an investigation into the deaths of 23 protesters across the country, including three in Kaduna.
Ismail says his family will not rest until they get answers about his brother’s death.
“He was in a cheerful mood when he went to the protest with his friends. He was concerned about the situation in the country.”
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