It was peaceful in Lagos, the nation’s commercial capital, Oyo, Ogun, Osun, Ondo, Rivers, Plateau and Cross River.
But it turned violent in parts of the North such as Kano, Kaduna, Borno, Gombe, Niger, Jigawa and partly in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).
Youths in some states declined to participate. These are Ondo, Ekiti in the Southwest; Kogi, Kwara and Benue in the Northcentral; Kebi in the Northwest, Akwa Ibom in the Southsouth and four Southeast states – Anambra, Enugu, Abia and Ebonyi.
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No fewer than 11 eleven people were killed in four states during the violence that accompanied the protests.
A police station in Nyanya, Abuja and the secretariat of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Dutse, Jigawa State, were torched.
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The police used teargas to disperse some protesters, who attempted to seize Eagle Square.
As feared by the security agencies, hoodlums hijacked the protest and went on a looting spree in Kano, Borno, Yobe and Edo, forcing governors of these states, except Edo, to slam curfew on the first day of what the organisers said would last for 10 days.
Protesters in Lagos stayed mainly around the Gani Fawehinmi Freedom Park in the Ojota area, in line with the order of the court.
Earlier in the day, a band of demonstrators gathered under the Obafemi Awolowo Way Bridge in Ikeja, from where they marched to the Freedom Park.
The police gave them cover during the procession and stayed with them throughout the day.
At about 2 pm, they brought musical instruments from where songs of the late Fela Anikulapo Kuti were played with protesters singing along and dancing.
Another group of protesters, who went to Lekki Tollgate in the afternoon, were dispersed by the police.
Businesses were paralysed in the commercial capital, except at the seaports and airports. (see more on pages 2 and 29).
They took over major roads leading to the city and other satellite towns.
Organisers had headed to the Moshood Abiola Stadium, Abuja in compliance with a court order but on arrival, met a large number of security men.
They were told by the operatives that they were there to maintain order and enforce the court’s restrictions.
Activist-lawyer Deji Adeyanju led the protesters in singing solidarity songs.
FCT Commissioner of Police Bennet Igweh asked the protesters to move into the stadium complex instead of staying outside but the organisers insisted on staying outside.
After an hour, the protesters moved into the city through the Central Business District (CBD) to Eagle Square where the protest was hijacked, leading to violence.
At that point, security agents started shooting teargas canisters to disperse them from gathering around the Ministry of Foreign Affairs near the Federal Secretariat.
While close to Labour House, the protesters barricaded the road leading to the Mabushi axis of the city, holding sticks.
Along the popular Abuja-Kubwa Expressway down to Dei-dei and Bwari town, the roads were like a war zone with battalions of soldiers.
Hundreds of protesters believed to be urchins brandished sticks, barricaded all the lanes and made burn fire with tyres.
The situation degenerated around the Kugbo to Nyanya stretch of the Abuja-Keffi highway.
The miscreants vandalised public utilities and looted shops.
The security agents prevented the urchins from gaining entrance into the Abuja city centre.
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