The authorities have confirmed the death of four people, victims of a bomb explosion, as well as the arrest of hundreds of people during demonstrations in various parts of Nigeria.
The director of Amnesty International in Nigeria, Isa Sanusi, said that the non-governmental organization had verified the deaths that were initially reported by witnesses, relatives of the victims and lawyers.
According to the Nigerian police, more than 300 protesters were arrested and a curfew imposed in the northern states of Kano and Katsina following the looting of public property.
A police officer was also killed and several others were injured, the authorities said.
The protests were sparked mainly by food shortages, and the demonstrators believe that the country is being poorly governed.
Nigeria's civil servants, often accused of corruption, are among the best paid in Africa, which is a stark contrast in a country that has some of the poorest populations in the world, despite being one of the continent's biggest oil producers.
With protest placards and Nigerian flags, the demonstrators chanted while listing demands, including the reinstatement of gas and electricity subsidies.
The suspension of subsidies is part of the package of reforms adopted by the government to grow the economy, but the new measures have had the opposite effect, including an increase in petrol prices.
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