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By Reuters 
2h ago
Angela Ukomadu, Alexis Akwagyiram and Libby George
Lagos – Nigeria’s largest city, Lagos, and several states were under a curfew on Wednesday when unrest rooted in protests against the police flared again after a day of violence, including the shooting of civilians by forces of security.
Fires burned across Lagos and residents reported hearing gunshots despite President Muhammadu Buhari’s call for “understanding and calm.”
Armed police tried to enforce a 24-hour curfew in the commercial capital, setting up checkpoints. But groups of young men blocked several main roads with traffic signs, tree branches and overturned rocks. Smoke billowed from burning buildings.
Video verified by Reuters showed armed police officers in the Yaba area of Lagos kicking a man as he lay on the ground. An officer shot him in the back and dragged his inert body down the street.
Footage taken afterward showed crowds gathering, dense black smoke from burning tires and more police officers with guns in hand.
Human rights group Amnesty International said Nigerian army and police killed at least 12 peaceful protesters in two locations in Lagos, Lekki and Alausa, on Tuesday.
At least 56 people have died in Nigeria since nationwide protests began on October 8, and about 38 died on Tuesday alone, Amnesty said.
A Lagos police spokesman said via WhatsApp that he was “not aware of any such accusations” about the man who was kicked and shot, and said there were no killings in Alausa, which he said is “a very peaceful place. “.
Thousands of Nigerians, many of whom are closer to poverty due to the economic consequences of the coronavirus pandemic, have joined the protests that initially focused on a police unit, the Special Anti-Theft Squad (SARS).
The unit, which human rights groups have long accused of extortion, harassment, torture and murder, was disbanded on October 11, but protests have persisted with calls for more police reforms.
Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu imposed a curfew in Lagos on Tuesday.
But a shooting Tuesday night at a toll booth in the Lekki Lakes District, where people had gathered in defiance of the curfew, appeared to mark the worst violence since the protests began and raised international concern over the situation in the most populous country in Africa. a major oil producer.
“There is little doubt that this was a case of excessive use of force, which resulted in illegal killings with live ammunition, by the Nigerian armed forces,” the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights said on Wednesday, Michelle Bachelet.
The chairman of the African Union Commission said he “strongly condemns the violence.”
And the Economic Community of West African States (Ecowas) urged Nigerian security forces to exercise restraint in handling protests and to act professionally.
Sanwo-Olu said 30 people were injured in the shooting. Four witnesses said that soldiers had fired bullets and that at least two people had been shot at the tollbooth. Three witnesses said the door lights were turned off before the shooting began. One said he saw soldiers remove bodies.
The Nigerian army said there were no soldiers at the scene.
Inyene Akpan, 26, a photographer, said that more than 20 soldiers arrived and opened fire as they approached the protesters.
Witness Akinbosola Ogunsanya said the lights suddenly went out around 6:45 pm (1745 GMT) and the men arrived earlier to remove the CCTV cameras.
Minutes later, uniformed soldiers walked into the crowd, firing as they walked, he said. He saw about 10 people being shot and soldiers removing bodies, he said.
Another witness, Chika Dibia, said that the soldiers surrounded the people while shooting at them.
Henry Kufre, a television producer, said the atmosphere had been peaceful and people were singing the national anthem before the site sank into darkness and the shooting began.
Buhari said Wednesday he was committed to doing justice. for victims of brutality, and that the police reforms demanded by the protesters were accelerating. He did not refer to the shooting at the tollbooth.
Vice President Yemi Osinbajo late Wednesday on Twitter expressed sympathy for the victims of the Lekki shooting and others who have died in recent days. “We can and will obtain justice for all of them,” he tweeted.
Previously, Sanwo-Olu said 25 people were being treated for injuries and two were in intensive care.
“I acknowledge that the ball is resting on my table and I will work with the FG (federal government) to get to the root of this unfortunate incident and stabilize all security operations to protect the lives of our residents,” said Sanwo-Olu.
Unrest also gripped other parts of southern Nigeria. Among the states imposing restrictions is the Rivers State oil production hub, including a curfew in parts of the oil city of Port Harcourt.
Rivers Governor Nyesom Wike said criminals attacked and destroyed police stations and court buildings in parts of the state.
In South Africa, hundreds of Nigerians holding banners demanding “a new and better Nigeria” marched on the Nigerian High Commission (embassy) in Pretoria. The protesters also demonstrated in front of the Nigerian embassy in London.
Nigeria’s sovereign Eurobonds fell more than 2 cents on the dollar on Wednesday. One analyst said the protests could trigger a resumption of attacks on oil facilities, which could affect their main source of foreign income.
“Militants in the Niger Delta … have shown their support for the (protest) movement. If the protests escalate, we could see the attacks on oil and gas facilities resume,” said Janet Ogunkoya, research analyst Tellimer Research senior.
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