Several protesters were killed by Nigerian security forces in Lagos on Tuesday, Amnesty International said, after witnesses reported that gunmen opened fire on protesters in defiance of the curfew.
“People died at the toll (Lekki) through security forces,” Amnesty International spokesman Isa Sanusi told AFP, referring to a key protest in the city.
He said the defense organization “works to determine how much. “
Protests that began 12 days ago against abuses through the police’s hated Special Anti-Theft Brigade (SARS) have erupted dramatically with reported violence in several cities Photo: AFP/Kola Sulaimon
Witnesses told the AFP that they fired on the crowd of more than 1,000 nonviolent protesters and dispersed them several hours after the government declared an indefinite shutdown in Lagos in the face of growing protests.
“We were all sitting in peace and quiet and turned off the lights and billboards, everyone screaming,” a protester named Toye told the AFP, asking that his full call not be used.
“They came here for us, but I don’t know who Array is. They were shooting and everyone was running for their lives. “
The wave of protests in Nigeria has rocked the government, as the largest manifestation of the popular force in years has become demands of young people for radical adjustments Photo: AFP / PIUS UTOMI EKPEI
Another protester, Innocent, said he helped send the injured to nearby hospitals.
“Currently, I have two other people I throw in my car, a woman and a man, who are in very critical condition,” he said.
“I’ve already took two other people to the hospital. One shot in the back and the other in the stomach . . .
Scenes of other people pulling a bullet out of someone’s wound and begging were broadcast in live video via DJ Switch, a popular disc jockey, to 150,000 Instagram viewers.
Tensions were high in Abuja after police reported that three other people had been killed in clashes in Abuja on Monday. Picture: AFP / Kola Sulaimon
Previously, provocative protesters at the site had sung the national anthem and pledged to stay on the streets even though they were ordered to stay home.
Anger over abuse through the police’s hated Special Anti-Theft Brigade (SARS) erupted in widespread protests about two weeks ago that brought thousands of people to the streets.
Lagos state governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu on Tuesday ordered the 24-hour closure of the vast economic center, protests had “degenerated into a monster” when violence erupted in a number of cities.
Map of Lagos detailing major collection problems for primary demonstrations and barricades Photo: AFP / Gillian HANDYSIDE
“Criminals and disbelievers now hide under the umbrella of these protests to disarm chaos,” he wrote on Twitter, insisting that only an essential staff stay on the streets.
“We will practice and allow anarchy in our expensive state. “
As the tone hardened in the authorities’ component, the Nigerian police leader ordered the deployment of sets in the country.
“The force will now exercise all the powers of the law to avoid further harm to the lives and property of citizens,” he told.
Nigerian protesters challenge curfew in Lagos Photo: AFPTV / Pierre FAVENNEC
As of Tuesday, 18 other people had been killed by the protests, and clashes between protesters and assailants dressed as civilians were reported.
Rights teams and protesters have accused “thugs and thugs” of attacking non-violent demonstrations and of discrediting the protest movement.
Witnesses told the AFP that on Tuesday morning a police station was set up at a fire site in Lagos’ Orile Iganmu district, and said police opened a fire site against protesters, injuring several of them.
In the capital, Abuja, security forces violently dispersed the crowds on Tuesday and there may be dense black smoke over the city.
The violence also spread to the largest city in northern Kano when many others went crazy, burning cars and looting business, according to an AFP journalist on site.
“The crowd approached the school and attacked parents who had come to pick up their children,” Sadiq Mohammed, a 35-year-old car mechanic, told AFP.
Police said 12 suspects were also arrested in the southern city of Benin in separate attacks on two police facilities.
The government announced the dismantling of the SARS unit and a series of reforms more than a week ago, but the attempt to appease the protesters failed.
Officials called for the protests to be suspended so that the government had time to fulfill its promises.
Nigeria, where the average age is 18, is a powder bar of deep, social grievances.
It is estimated that about a portion of the population of two hundred million live in excessive poverty and unemployment is widespread among young people.
Africa’s largest oil manufacturer has been facing a recession lately, as the fall in crude oil caused by the coronavirus pandemic has affected public finances.
The Lagos Chamber of Commerce said in a statement that the estimated economic losses over the past 12 days were 700 billion nars ($1. 8 billion, 1. 5 billion euros).