Royal News

Tag: Protest

  • Nepal Protest Over Social Media Ban Turns Deadly

    Nepal Protest Over Social Media Ban Turns Deadly

    Protesters clash with riot police outside Nepal’s Parliament in Kathmandu on September 8, 2025, during demonstrations against social media bans and government corruption. Police used tear gas and water cannon to disperse the crowds. (Photo Credit: Prabin Ranabhat/AFP)

    At least 10 people were killed and nearly 90 injured in Kathmandu on Monday after police used rubber bullets, tear gas, and water cannon to disperse demonstrators protesting against Nepal’s social media ban and government corruption.

    According to AFP, the unrest began after the government blocked 26 unregistered platforms on Friday, including Facebook, YouTube, and X, sparking widespread anger.

    “Until now, 10 protesters have died and 87 are injured,” Kathmandu Valley police spokesman Shekhar Khanal told AFP, adding that crowds remained in the streets.

    Civil Hospital in Kathmandu reported dozens of injured being treated. “I have never seen such a disturbing situation at the hospital,” said information officer Ranjana Nepal, noting that tear gas had entered the facility and hampered medical staff.

    GenZs revolt against social media ban turns deadly (Picture Credit: AP)

    Protesters, many of them students, marched with national flags and chanted against corruption before breaching restricted zones near parliament. Police baton-charged demonstrators after some forced their way past barbed wire and climbed into parliament grounds. Authorities have since imposed a curfew around key government sites, including the president’s residence and the prime minister’s office.

    “This is not just about social media,” said student protester Yujan Rajbhandari, 24. “We are protesting against corruption that has been institutionalised in Nepal.” Another demonstrator, 20-year-old Ikshama Tumrok, condemned the government’s “authoritarian attitude,” saying her generation wanted change.

    The ban has disrupted millions who rely on platforms such as Instagram for news, entertainment, and business. Meanwhile, videos on TikTok — still accessible — highlighting the gap between struggling citizens and politicians’ privileged children have fueled public anger.

    The government said companies were given seven days to register locally and appoint compliance officers, following a Supreme Court order last year. In a statement Sunday, it maintained that it respected free expression and was committed to ensuring its protection.

    Nepal has previously restricted digital platforms, including a nine-month ban on TikTok lifted in August 2024 after regulatory compliance.

  • Agan Women Protest Insecurity, Demand Government Action

    Agan Women Protest Insecurity, Demand Government Action

    Women from the Agan community in Makurdi, the Benue State capital, staged a peaceful protest on Friday to decry the growing insecurity in their area.

    The demonstrators, mostly women, blocked the federal highway near the Agan toll gate, carrying leaves and chanting songs to express their dissatisfaction with the government’s response to the security situation.

    Speaking to reporters, a local resident identified as Torkwase confirmed the protest was ongoing and non-violent. “It is just about the insecurity going on around the area. We are tired and need the government to act fast,” she said in a phone interview.

    The protest was sparked by continued reports of attacks and violence affecting parts of the Agan community and surrounding areas in Benue State.

    Security personnel were reportedly deployed to the scene to monitor the situation and ensure it remained peaceful.

    Residents say the area has been plagued by frequent incidents of violence, leading to fear and displacement among community members.

    The protest reflects mounting frustration over what residents describe as a lack of visible government intervention or protection.

    There has been no official statement yet from state authorities regarding the protest or the specific measures being taken to address the security concerns raised by the Agan community.

  • JUST IN…. KWASU condemns students protest

    JUST IN…. KWASU condemns students protest

    AUTHORITY of the Kwara State University has condemned the protest staged by students of its Study Centre at the Kwara State College of Arabic and Islamic Legal Studies (CAILS), is unwarranted and promoted by mischief makers whose intention is to undermine the integrity of the scheduled examinations.

    KWASU Registrar, Dr. Kikelomo W. Sallee, stated this in a statement issued on Monday.

    According to her:

    “We also wish to state that the claims by the Management of Kwara State College of Arabic and Islamic Legal Studies that they were not carried along in the decision to change the examination venue are both baseless as they are mischievous.

    “The public needs to note that Kwara State University has two (2) external locations for its Sandwich Degree Programme: Kwara State College of Arabic and Islamic Legal Studies and Imam Hamzat College of Education. These two institutions are not affiliated to Kwara State University. Rather, they are Study Centres of the University for the Sandwich Degree Programme.

    “This implies that the concerned students are fully under the administration of Kwara State University. The University is therefore not required to seek the authorization of CAILS before making decisions on the concerned students. As such, all Sandwich Degree students of that Study Centre will be guided by the standards KWASU sets.”

    The varsity’s Registrar further said: “The decision of KWASU Management to centralize the examination venue for all the sandwich degree students of the institution was taken to protect the sanctity of the examination and ensure standardization of the evaluation process.

    “This was communicated to all the students in an orientation exercise conducted by KWASU’s Institute of Education (IOE) on Wednesday, October 2, 2024.

    “The venue communicated to the students is the KWASU Conference Centre, located behind Ayoka Petrol Station, along old Jebba Road, Agric area, Ilorin. This was expressly communicated to the students at that orientation exercise almost two (2) weeks ago and not three (3) days before the examination as mischievously presented by CAILS Management.

    “For the avoidance of doubt, Kwara State University will not compromise the quality of any of its processes, nor will the University be swayed by propaganda peddled to coerce it into deviating from its stance on ensuring the quality of its products.”

    Sallee therefore disclosed that “the examination for the Sandwich Degree Programme, which has been scheduled to hold centrally at the KWASU Conference Centre, will not change, and the affected students are advised to take note.”

  • NLC protest action may bring anarchy– TUC

    NLC protest action may bring anarchy– TUC


    The Trade Union Congress has warned that the planned protest on February 27 and 28 being championed by the Nigeria Labour Congress may lead to anarchy.

    This is as the union stated that the country was too volatile and tense because of the prevailing hunger in the land.

    This warning was made by the Deputy President of the TUC, Dr Tommy Etim, in an interview with Punch.

    The Organised Labour plans to embark on a two-day strike on Tuesday and Wednesday to protest the hardship currently being faced by Nigerians following the dramatic hike in the prices of goods and services due to the removal of fuel subsidy and the free fall of the naira, among others.

    Pockets of protests had broken out in Kano, Niger, Oyo and Osun, among other states, with protesters urging the government to take decisive steps to bring the hardship to an end.

    Nigeria’s annual inflation rate climbed to a near 28-year high of 29.9 per cent in January, up from 28.9 per cent in December and above market forecasts of 29.5 per cent.

    Food prices are at an all-time high, with a bag of long-grain rice hitting N77,000.

    Several videos online have shown netizens lamenting the increase in the prices of consumer goods like toothpaste, butter, and tin tomatoes, among others, and asking the President, Bola Tinubu to intervene.

    Many have also expressed their willingness to join the NLC protest to press home their demands for a change in the economic trajectory of the country.

    However, the TUC backed out, saying that it was not aware of the planned rally. This caused a crack in the wall of the Organised Labour.

    Although the NLC has insisted that the two-day rally must be held, the TUC has stated that it will not be part of the demonstration.

    Etim, while commenting on the planned rally, stated that it was ill-timed and urged the NLC not to plunge the country into anarchy.

    Speaking on why the TUC backed out of the proposed protest, the labour leader accused the President of the NLC, Joe Ajaero, of running a one-man show by failing to carry members of the TUC along in his decision to declare a two-day strike.

    Etim said the NLC had slighted the TUC in making unilateral decisions four times, adding that it was now a deliberate act.

    He said, “When one claims that a mistake is done and it is one that a mistake can be accepted as a mistake, but, when it is up to four times, it is now a deliberate action.

    “The first thing is that when you issue an ultimatum to the government, the NEC is supposed to meet to review it. When they do, they will then make a decision.

    “In this case, the ultimatum given to the Federal Government was still on and the NLC president decided to announce that they would be going on protest as though he had not been in industrial relations practice or law. It baffles us. We cannot take that.

    “What is the essence of unionism if you don’t come together for a particular cause? So, adopting a situation where two centres have been on the ground and one feels it has superior knowledge is not a good one at all.

    “I feel that he should be sensitive to know that the struggle is not a one-party affair and we must save the country. We have to be a united force. And we have also said that a people united cannot be defeated. The President must leave up to his responsibility.”

  • ‘Nigerian youths have been bruised, we need to heal their scars,’ says Donald Duke

    ‘Nigerian youths have been bruised, we need to heal their scars,’ says Donald Duke

    A former Governor of Cross River, Mr Donald Duke, has said that Nigerian youths have been neglected and left with no hopes due to wrong leadership in the country.

    Duke, who spoke with newsmen on Sunday while reacting to the destruction of properties on Friday and Saturday in Calabar by some hoodlums, said the act was not normal.
    He said that the youths feel abandoned and depressed with no leaders to assure them that tomorrow will be better than today, hence they took laws into their hands by destroying private and government properties.

    He said that from the videos and pictures he saw on the looting in Calabar, it showed that the youths felt neglected and abandoned by leaders, leaving their future in their hands with nothing put in place for them.
    “We often want to blame these happenings on criminals and miscreants, but they are no such people, we created them, they are human beings.

    “I find it deplorable when people regard others as miscreants. They are our children. If you don’t provide for them, train them and give them hope, they will take laws into their hands; but the point is we need to rise up and correct these things.
    “We must mean what we say and say what we mean. When the youths feel that your words are empty statements, they won’t take you seriously anymore,” he said.
    He noted that if the tragic incident that occurred in Calabar should happen again in Calabar, then the state is “finished”.

    Duke, who charged the government to be ready to find solutions to the problems, said that the uniqueness of the state hospitality has been affected.
    “The youths have been bruised and we need to address that and heal their scars. My desire is to reach out to them, speak to them and ask for forgiveness; so that we can forgive them too and create a better society.

    “We love Cross River, the soonest we come out, we will encourage others to do same. We need the support of everyone to do this. We should encourage the government to succeed, regardless of what we think.

    “Some of the protesters are idle, if they are employed, they won’t be on the streets. You can’t say you have a right to life without given a right to livelihood.
    “When you see someone carting away a used toilet base, you should know there is a big problem. We need to help our young people to succeed. We need to educate, equip and sustain them,” he said.

    He said that the furniture, cars and other properties that were destroyed can be replaced, but no human live can be replaced, hence the youths should sheath their swords.
    According to him, the youths were passing a strong message to the leaders, not through words that are loud enough.

  • BREAKING: Police bans all forms of protest, gatherings in Lagos

    BREAKING: Police bans all forms of protest, gatherings in Lagos

    Due to the attacks on innocent Nigerians and police officers, the Lagos State Police Command has placed a ban on all gatherings and protest across the state henceforth.

    The state police announced this in a media release issued on Tuesday by the State Police Public Relations Officer, SP Olumuyiwa Adejobi.

    The statement read: “The Lagos State Police Command wishes to inform the general public that henceforth no protest or gathering or possession, under whatever guise, is permitted within Lagos State.”

    “In the light of the above, all security agencies have deployed adequate personnel to take charge and enforce the curfew across the state.”

    This comes after an imposition of a 24 hours curfew in the state.

  • Protest will give ladies husband this year more than Shiloh – Toke Makinwa says

    Protest will give ladies husband this year more than Shiloh – Toke Makinwa says

    Media personality, Toke Makinwa has prophesied to ladies who are active and participating in the fight against Police brutality in Nigeria.

    According to the actress, this protest is going to give more husbands than Shiloh, hence if you like to stay home and miss out on this big opportunity.

    Judging from the socialization which is going on at various Protest grounds, this is very much possible. The main objective of the protest is for the fight against bad governance, then aside that people from different part of the country also get to meet new people and making new friends.

    Taking to her Insta-story, the media personality and Nollywood actress wrote; Protest will give ladies husband this year more than Shiloh. If you like continue staying in your house. #EndSARS

    Screenshot below;