Nigeria protesters break curfew amid gunfire; events spark global outrage

Lagos, October 21

Nigerian protesters demanding an finish to police brutality defied a curfew as gunfire rang out the place they have been establishing a blockade Wednesday, a day after photographs have been fired right into a crowd of demonstrators singing the nation’s nationwide anthem. That disturbing flip drew world outrage.

It’s not clear if any protesters have been killed in Tuesday night time’s taking pictures on the Lekki toll plaza within the West African nation’s sprawling industrial capital. Lagos’ governor mentioned many have been injured however nobody was killed, however Amnesty International had earlier mentioned there have been fatalities and that it had “credible but disturbing evidence” that safety forces have been accountable.

Gunfire reverberated throughout Lagos on Wednesday, together with on the Lekki toll plaza, the place younger demonstrators have been rallying once more regardless of an order for everybody to remain off the streets till additional discover. At the sound of the photographs, some protesters may very well be seen working away, although it wasn’t clear if the group was fired upon.

Police additionally fired tear gasoline at one level, and smoke may very well be seen billowing from a number of areas within the metropolis’s heart. Two personal TV stations have been pressured off the air not less than quickly as their places of work have been burned.

Demonstrations and gunfire have been additionally reported in a number of different Nigerian cities, together with the capital metropolis, Abuja.

Young folks have taken to the streets for greater than two weeks after anger over heavy-handed policing flared in response to a video of a person being overwhelmed, apparently by officers with the Special Anti-Robbery Squad, generally known as SARS.

In response to the #EndSARS motion, the federal government introduced it will disband the unit, which Amnesty International says has been accountable for many circumstances of torture and killings.

But that has did not fulfill demonstrators, who are actually demanding extra widespread reforms to finish human rights abuses dedicated by safety forces of all stripes and pervasive authorities corruption.

Though Nigeria has huge oil wealth, and is one among Africa’s largest economies, lots of its 196 million folks face excessive ranges of poverty and lack of fundamental providers — due to rampant graft, in keeping with rights teams. Nigerians have flooded Twitter in current weeks with accounts of the on a regular basis indignities and outright abuse they face, from being frequently shaken down by police for bribes to beatings and even killings.

But their calls for for higher governance drew new consideration each inside and out of doors the nation after movies have been posted on social media by which gunfire may very well be heard echoing over protesters as they sang the nationwide anthem on the Lekki toll plaza within the darkness Tuesday night time. After the photographs, folks will be heard working away.

It’s not clear who was firing, however Amnesty International accused the police and army of utilizing extreme drive in opposition to the demonstrators. It didn’t say how many individuals have been killed, nevertheless it has beforehand blamed 10 deaths in the course of the protests on Nigeria’s safety forces.

There have additionally been widespread studies of the youthful protesters being attacked by armed gangs, who the demonstrators say are despatched by the police.

The Lagos governor Wednesday confirmed greater than 20 accidents from the Lekki shootings, however mentioned that nobody had been killed. He mentioned he went to hospitals and mortuaries all through town.

Speaking in a televised deal with, Gov. Obajide Sanwo-Olu mentioned he has ordered an investigation into the actions of the army at Lekki plaza, a sign that the military could also be accountable.

“This is with a view to taking this up with a higher command of the military and to seek the intervention of Mr. President in his capacity as a commander in chief to unravel the sequence of events that happened yesterday night,” he mentioned.

“This is the toughest night of our lives as forces beyond our direct control have moved to make dark notes in our history, but we will face it and come out stronger,” the governor tweeted earlier Wednesday.

He had additionally warned on Twitter that the protests in opposition to police brutality had “degenerated into a monster that is threatening the well-being of our society.” Nigeria’s army, nonetheless, denied accountability for the Lekki shootings, posting a tweet that labeled a number of studies as pretend information.

President Muhammadu Buhari — who has mentioned little concerning the protests engulfing his nation— didn’t point out the Lekki shootings however in a press release Wednesday issued a name for calm and vowed police reforms.

Buhari’s assertion mentioned the dissolution of the SARS unit “is the first step in a set of reform policies that will deliver a police system accountable to the Nigerian people,” and mentioned his authorities is dedicated to “the implementation of lasting police reforms in Nigeria”.

Nigeria’s spiraling disaster has drawn worldwide consideration, together with from US presidential candidate Joe Biden who denounced the shootings.

“I urge President Buhari and the Nigerian military to cease the violent crackdown on protesters in Nigeria, which has already resulted in several deaths,” wrote Biden. “My heart goes out to all those who have lost a loved one in the violence. The United States must stand with Nigerians who are peacefully demonstrating for police reform and seeking an end to corruption in their democracy.” Beyoncé mentioned she is “heartbroken to see the senseless brutality taking place in Nigeria,” on Instagram. Former U.S. presidential candidate Hillary Clinton additionally condemned the violence. — AP