Protest shooting in Lagos
Protests against police brutality in Nigeria have turned deadly, with at least one person confirmed dead and dozens more left wounded as officers continue to shoot at demonstrators. According to a few witnesses, Nigerian soldiers have opened fire on protesters in the Lekki district of the commercial capital Lagos. Authorities have imposed a curfew over the growing protests against police brutality and the police chief has deployed an anti-riot squad. The incident took place at Lekki Toll Plaza, an upscale district in Lagos, the country’s largest city and financial hub. Authorities in Nigeria are currently investigating reports that soldiers opened fire on demonstrators protesting against police brutality Tuesday night.
Lagos State Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu said one person had died at the hospital from blunt force trauma to the head, but that it was unclear if he had been a protester. Governor Babjide Sanwo-Olu said in a tweet that a person had died at Reddington Hospital in Lagos due to blunt force trauma to the head. “This is an isolated case. We are still investigating if he was a protester,” he said.
The state governor said about 25 people had been wounded but only one person had died. An indefinite 24-hour curfew has been imposed on Lagos and other regions. In a televised speech earlier in the day, Sanwo-Olu described the shooting as people protested against police brutality on Tuesday night as among the “darkest hours from our history as a people.”
The protests began two weeks ago after a video was circulated showing a man apparently being beaten by police officers from the Special Anti-Robbery Squad, known as SARS. The SARS was a special branch of the Nigerian Police Force created in 1992 to deal with crimes associated with robbery and firearms.
“Reports of the shooting came on the first night of a 24-hour curfew imposed by Lagos Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu, which prohibits all but essential workers and first responders from the streets after 4 p.m. local time. A spokesman for the governor”, Gboyega Akosile, said on Twitter that the Lagos state government has ordered an investigation into the incident.
Graphic scenes posted on social media showed protesters at a tollgate in the centre of Lagos fleeing as security forces, including soldiers, shot live rounds towards the crowds. Others were seen struggling to treat the injured, or pleading with security officials to allow medics to treat victims. Ambulances were reported to have been turned back by soldiers.
President Muhammadu Buhari, appealing for “understanding and calm”, said on Wednesday he was committed to providing justice for victims of brutality, and that police reforms also demanded by the demonstrators were gathering pace.
Inyene Akpan, 26, a photographer, said more than 20 soldiers arrived at the toll gate and opened fire. He saw two people being shot. Witnesses and the rights group Amnesty International said several people were killed and wounded when soldiers opened fire. Amnesty International said there was “credible but disturbing evidence” security forces in the country’s biggest city had fatally shot protesters.
By Karishma Gwalani
