Police operatives in Lagos State were on Tuesday spotted distributing water and biscuits to protesting members of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC).

The protesters had gathered around the Ikeja area of the nation’s capital to register their grievances over the rising cost of living in the country.

Police operatives were captured in a van handing out bottled water and snacks to the demonstrators who marched through the streets.

Earlier, police authorities in the state promised to provide security for the protesters but warned them against causing trouble during the demonstration.

Tuesday’s protest is day one of the nationwide demonstration against the rising cost of living in the country. Since the removal of fuel subsidy last year and the floating of the naira, inflation has continued to soar in Nigeria.

While the government and labour unions have met several times over measures to cushion the impacts of the moves, the unionists say the Nigerian authorities are unserious.

Before this latest protest, the government had made last-ditch efforts to stop it but their meeting with the NLC ended in a deadlock, leading to the demonstration.

Across the country, members of the NLC poured into the streets as they marched for what they called unbearable economic hardship in Nigeria.