(CNN) -- Nigerians took to the streets for the second day of a nationwide strike Tuesday, showing their anger over a government decision that has more than doubled fuel prices in the largely impoverished country.
Some protests over the end of fuel subsidies were marred by clashes that left 16 people dead and 205 injured, according to a tally collected by the Nigerian Red Cross Tuesday.
The strike, continued religious violence in the north and a long-simmering separatist movement are all issues that have created growing problems for Goodluck Jonathan, the country's president, and fueled tensions on the street.
The southern state of Edo was a focus for much of the violence, according to the Red Cross figures, with five people killed and 83 injured.
The situation is tense amid rumors that people from the north will be attacked, and some 4,000 people have fled their homes and sought refuge in camps, the Red Cross report says.
Dan Enowoghomwenma, joint secretary of the Edo state branch of the Red Cross, told CNN three people had died Monday and two Tuesday, as different communities clashed in the state capital, Benin City.
One mosque building was burned and another vandalized, with cars and buses also set alight, before the police and military restored calm, he said. He told CNN he did not know if there was a religious motivation for the clashes.
Meanwhile, the situation in the northern Nigerian state of Kano was "generally chaotic" Tuesday, the Red Cross reported, with three people killed and 55 injured, some with gunshot wounds.
Police in the neighboring state of Kaduna, where one person was killed and three injured, used tear gas to try to disperse protesters gathered in front of the government house, the Red Cross said.
In the southwest, violence flared at some rallies in Lagos, the country's commercial capital, as protesters clashed with police, resulting in seven injuries and three deaths, the Red Cross said.
Three deaths were also reported in Bauchi, and one in Kwara, according to the Red Cross figures. Other states reported protests that were largely peaceful, despite outbreaks of vandalism and protesters burning tires or blocking roads.
CNN iReporter Eromo Egbejule, a Nigerian freelance journalist, attended a protest concert in Lagos Tuesday staged by musician Femi Kuti, son of the legendary Fela Kuti, and said he was proud to be there.
"Nigeria loves peace and this is why we are peacefully protesting, even though the Nigerian police and army have inflicted injuries and in some cases, killed innocent people," Egbejule said.
"Revolution has come to Nigeria and the youth will spearhead it. Until our demands are met, we are ready to protest every day and make sacrifices."
Jonathan tried to explain the need for the end of subsidies in a recent address, telling Nigerians that the government would invest the money in the country's crumbling infrastructure.
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Protesters took to the streets on Monday, January 9, in a nationwide strike against the Nigerian government's decision to take away fuel subsidies.
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"My fellow Nigerians, the truth is that we're faced with two basic choices with regards to the management of the petroleum sector," Jonathan said. "Survive economically or continue with a subsidy regime that will continue to undermine our economy."
But assurances from the president did not allay fears from many Nigerians who do not trust the government to use the money to improve the country's infrastructure.
Another CNN iReporter, 38-year-old filmmaker and web designer Oladapo Bamidele, who filmed protests in Lagos Monday, said Nigerians have lost faith in Jonathan's government.
"Nigerians are united in this cause to see corruption dealt with, and eventually removed," he said.
There have also been complaints from demonstrators that the police have responded too aggressively.
In Kano, a physician who was among the protesters Monday said police there fired on the crowd, injuring at least 13 people.
Demonstrators were gathered listening to speeches when police "suddenly came and some were shooting and some were throwing tear gas," said Shehi Ali, vice chairman of the Nigeria Medical Association.
Ali said one protester, a 12-year-old boy, was shot in the neck. Another protester was shot in the groin, he said.
But Kano Police Commissioner Ibrahim Idris denied that officers fired on protesters. He said that officers were forced to use tear gas on "miscreants and drug addicts" who had tried to storm the governor's residence.
Elsewhere, there have been more conflicting reports about the violence. Sanya Femi, a union official, said three union members had been killed by police gunfire during a peaceful protest in Lagos Monday. But Sunday Salailo, a trade union president, said he had no reports of union members dying.
Some analysts say the changes could help Nigeria in the future.
"If they're prepared to try this petroleum subsidy removal then perhaps they can push through electricity reform too. If they do that, Nigeria's growth can be instead of 7%-8% a year, 10% or 11%," said Charlie Robertson, a chief economist at the global investment firm Renaissance Capital.
But many Nigerians view the subsidy as the only benefit of living in an oil-producing country that has little infrastructure, poor roads, high unemployment and intermittent electric power.
"Though we know that in the long run, removal of (the) subsidy will help the economy, for now it is a high-profile lifestyle that is unbearable for most Nigerians, and soon the poorer ones will die out," said protester Diane Awunah.
CNN's John Defterios, Jack Maddox and Michael Saba, and journalist Vladimir Duthiers contributed to this report.
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Bonfires were set ablaze by protesters outside Lagos State University. iReporter Lawal Adekunle Olusegun said: "I know a lot of people around are suffering and going through a hard time the fuel subsidy is only making things worse for a lot of people."
This picture, taken by iReporter Medaiyese Olorunjuwon shows the armed forces monitoring protesters in the city of Ilorin, Kwara State capital. Olorunjuwon said: "The protesters were cheering the armed forces... All in all it was peaceful."
During the rally in Ilorin, Kwara State, demonstrators displayed a mock coffin, while demanding the government bring back fuel subsidies.
IReporter Patrick Gbenga captured the protest scenes in the Nigerian city of Akure, capital of the Ondo state.
Gbenga said: "Thousands of people took to the street of Akure... it is part of me to fight against injustice."
An 83-year-old woman joins the protest rally at Liberation Square in Kano State.
The nationwide strike comes after days of protesting across the country. Gas prices have more than doubled following the government's decision to take away fuel subsidies.
Adjarho David Obaro, who is currently in Nigeria for the holidays, took photos of the protests near King's Square in Benin City on Thursday, January 5. He said there were thousands of protesters there from different backgrounds.
"I saw raw anger in the eyes of the protesters with regards to the increase in prices of good (and) services as a result of the subsidy removal," said Obaro.
iReporter Victor Iyamu took this photo at the protest in Benin City, the capital of Edo State, on Thursday, January 5. Iyamu says he is not participating in the protest but that he does support the protesters and their cause.
The Nigeria Labour Congress and Trades Union Congress urged the government to immediately restore the subsidies -- or see the country grind to a halt starting January 9.
After learning about the fuel subsidy protests from Twitter on Tuesday, iReporter Kfire decided to join the crowds in Lagos. "The aim of the protest was to disrupt vehicular movement, shut down gas stations and ask people to go back home," he said.
"The mood was one of anger and frustration towards the government for doing this on New Year's Day," Kfire said.
Freelance journalist Mohammed Bashir observed the large protest in his town of Lokoja, Nigeria, on Tuesday, January 3. He snapped this photo with his BlackBerry as hundreds gathered in the street.
Obi Akwukwuma, 47, observed the demonstrations at King's Square in Benin City on Thursday, January 5. Akwukwuma, who works on an engineering project nearby, took this photo with his BlackBerry as demonstrators protested the removal of fuel subsidy.
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