End Sars protests: People ‘shot to death’ in Lagos, Nigeria

Several people who participated in a protest against police brutality were reportedly shot or injured in Lagos, Nigeria’s largest city.

Witnesses said up to 12 people were killed and others injured when the soldiers opened fire. Amnesty International said it had “credible reports” of deaths.

The army dismissed the reports as “fake news.” President Muhammadu Buhari has called for “understanding and calm.”

A 24-hour indefinite curfew has been imposed in Lagos and other regions.

Nduka Orjinmo of the BBC in Nigeria said a small group of protesters were defying the curfew on Wednesday and had gathered at the Lekki toll plaza in Lagos, where the shooting took place.

Protests by a now-disbanded police unit, the Special Anti-Theft Squad (Sars), have continued for two weeks. Protesters are using the social media hashtag #EndSars to rally the crowds.

In reaction to Tuesday’s shootings in the wealthy suburb of Lekki, Former US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton called on Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari and the military “to stop killing young #EndSARS protesters.”

Former US Vice President Joe Biden, who is opposing President Donald Trump in next month’s elections, urged the Nigerian authorities to stop the “violent crackdown on protesters.”

“The United States must support Nigerians who are demonstrating peacefully for police reform and seeking an end to corruption in their democracy,” he said in a statement.

Nigerian footballer Odion Jude Ighalo, who plays for Manchester United, accused the Nigerian government of killing its own citizens. “I am ashamed of this government,” he said in a video posted on Twitter.

Eyewitnesses spoke of uniformed men opening fire at the Lekki tollbooth Tuesday night.

Armed soldiers were seen barricading the protest site moments before the shooting, reports Mayeni Jones, a BBC Nigeria correspondent.

Social media images broadcast live from the scene show protesters tending to the wounded.

An anonymous witness told BBC News that shortly before 19:00 local time, the soldiers “stopped … and started shooting directly” at peaceful protesters.

“They were shooting and were moving directly towards us. It was chaos. Someone was hit directly next to me and died on the spot.

“It was chaos and they kept shooting and shooting us. It lasted about an hour and a half and the soldiers were picking up the bodies.”

He said that the soldiers had built a barricade and that ambulances could not reach the protest area.

Four witnesses told the Reuters news agency that the soldiers had opened fire on the protesters. One of them, Alfred Ononugbo, 55, said: “They started firing ammunition into the crowd. They were firing into the crowd. I saw the bullet hit one or two people.”

Authorities have only confirmed that some people were injured in the shooting. The Premium Times newspaper cited witnesses who said that about 12 people had died.

In a tweet, Amnesty International Nigeria said it had “received credible but disturbing evidence of excessive use of force leading to the deaths of protesters at the Lekki tollbooth in Lagos.”

Isa Sanusi, a spokesperson for Amnesty International, later said: “The security forces killed people at the tollbooth … we are working to verify how many.”

In a statement Wednesday, President Buhari did not directly refer to the shootings, but asked people to be patient as police reforms “gain momentum.”

The military has not issued a statement on the events in Lekki, but in several posts on Twitter it described the media reports as “fake news.”

Lagos State Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu said 25 people were injured in what he described as an “unfortunate shooting”.

Posting photos of himself visiting the wounded in hospital, he said on Twitter that “forces beyond our direct control have moved to make dark notes on our history.”

He said that an investigation had been ordered into the incident.

Analysis by Mayeni Jones, BBC Nigeria correspondent

It was a gloomy night in Nigeria when social media images of the shooting came in, showing gunshots ringing at the protest site late into the night.

This is not the first time that the Nigerian army has been accused of shooting at unarmed protesters. There have been reports of violent crackdowns on EndSars protesters in other parts of the country.

But seeing live rounds used at one of the protest sites that had been peaceful until last night has unsettled many. Last week I was at the same location as the shooting. The protesters were peaceful, organized, hopeful for the future of their country. But this is no longer. Heartbreaking videos on social media showing protesters singing the national anthem as gunshots echo in the background have caused outrage.

Multiple accounts online say CCTV and lights were turned off at a toll gate where the protest took place before troops began to advance, causing utter chaos. These details are galvanizing a generation that is already disillusioned with the ruling class. The deafening silence of the presidency only exacerbates this anger. The Nigerian government is running out of time to quell growing discontent.

The protests began almost two weeks ago with calls for the dissolution of the Sars, who had been accused of illegal arrests, assaults and shootings.

President Buhari disbanded the unit on October 11.

But the protesters called for more changes in the security forces, as well as reforms in the way the country is run.

Sanwo-Olu has said that criminals have taken over the protests.