Nigeria's strike goes on despite Jonathan's petrol price climbdown

Nigerian soldiers drove armoured vehicles towards hundreds of protestors in Lagos on Monday in a bid to disperse them as the general strike over fuel prices entered its second week. 

Obasijuade

None of the protestors appeared to have been wounded.

About 1,000 protesters had gathered on a road near the main Lagos protest site, which armed soldiers seized early on Monday.

Numbers of protestors are down from last week, when some 10,000 protesters gathered daily at the main site.

Unions have vowed to continue with strikes even though President Goodluck Jonathan announced on Monday that petrol prices are to be reduced by about 30 per cent.

The strike began in response to the government's decision to remove fuel subsidies, causing a steep rise in petrol prices.

Though the strike is continuing trade unions cancelled street protests planned for today in response to security concerns voiced by the Nigerian president but a range of civil societies and political groups decided to go ahead with demonstrations.

Troops began by driving trucks toward the protesters, but later used armoured vehicles.

Soldiers also on Monday seized the main protest site in the capital, Abuja.