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Lagos State Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu on Tuesday ordered a 24-hour shutdown in the sprawling economic center, claiming protests had “degenerated into a monster” when violence erupted in a number of cities. .
Protesters gather at the Alausa front in Lagos on October 20, 2020, after the governor declared a 24-hour curfew, when violence erupted into widespread protests that have rocked cities across the country. Benson Ibeabuchi / AFP
LAGOS – On Tuesday, Nigerian security forces killed several protesters in Lagos, Amnesty International said, after witnesses reported that gunmen opened fire on protesters in defiance of the curfew order.
“Security forces killed people at the (Lekki) toll,” Amnesty Nigeria spokesman Isa Sanusi told AFP, referring to a key protest site in the city.
He said the rights group was “working to verify how many.”
Witnesses told AFP that crowds of more than 1,000 peaceful protesters were fired upon to disperse several hours after authorities declared an indefinite closure in Lagos amid the spiral of protests.
“We were all sitting, peacefully, and they turned off the lights and the billboards, they all started screaming,” a protester named Toye, who asked that her full name not be used, told AFP.
“They came to us, but I don’t know who it was. They were shooting and everyone was running for their lives.”
Another protester, Innocent, said he was helping transport the injured to nearby hospitals.
“Currently I have two people rushing me in my car, a woman and a boy, who are in very critical condition,” he said.
“I already took two people to the hospital. One was shot in the back and another in the stomach.” .
Scenes of people pulling a bullet out of someone’s wound and asking for help were broadcast in live video by DJ Switch, a popular disc jockey, to 150,000 Instagram viewers.
Previous defiant protesters on the scene had sung the national anthem and vowed to remain in the streets despite the order to stay home.
Anger over abuses by the police’s hated Special Anti-Theft Squad (SARS) erupted into widespread protests about two weeks ago that drew thousands to the streets.
Lagos State Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu on Tuesday ordered a 24-hour shutdown in the sprawling economic hub, claiming protests had “degenerated into a monster” when violence erupted in a number of cities. .
“Criminals and wrongdoers are now hiding under the umbrella of these protests to unleash chaos,” he wrote on Twitter, insisting that only essential workers should remain on the streets.
“We will not see and allow anarchy in our beloved state.”
As the tone of the authorities hardened, the Nigerian police chief ordered the deployment of riot control units across the country.
“From now on, the force will exercise all the powers of the law to prevent any other attack on the lives and property of citizens,” said a statement.
‘Sponsored thugs’
As of Tuesday, some 18 people had been killed in the demonstrations when clashes were reported between protesters and plainclothes assailants.
Human rights groups and protesters have accused “thugs and sponsored thugs” of attacking peaceful rallies and seeking to discredit the protest movement.
Witnesses told AFP that they set fire to a police station in the Orile Iganmu district of Lagos on Tuesday morning. They said the police opened fire on the protesters and injured several.
In the capital Abuja, security forces violently dispersed crowds during the day on Tuesday and dense black smoke could be seen above the city.
The violence also spread to the northern largest city of Kano, as hundreds of people rampaged, burned vehicles and looted businesses, according to an AFP reporter at the scene.
“The mob approached the school and began attacking the parents who had come to pick up their children,” 35-year-old auto mechanic Sadiq Mohammed told AFP.
Police said 12 suspects were also arrested in the southern Benin city in connection with separate attacks on two police facilities.
Tinder
The government announced the scrapping of the SARS unit and a series of reforms more than a week ago, but the attempt to placate the protesters failed.
Officials have called for the demonstrations to be suspended so that authorities have time to fulfill their promises.
Nigeria, where the average age is 18, is a tinderbox of deep economic and social grievances.
It is estimated that around half of the population of 200 million lives in extreme poverty and unemployment is widespread among young people.
Africa’s largest oil producer is currently facing a recession as falling crude prices triggered by the coronavirus pandemic has hit government finances.
The Lagos Chamber of Commerce said in a statement that estimated economic losses in the past 12 days were 700 billion naira (1.8 billion dollars, 1.5 billion euros).
On Tuesday, the Senate asked President Muhammadu Buhari to address the nation on the protests “as a matter of urgency.”
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