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Shooting has broken out and leaks have been reported in Nigeria, as riots continue over shooting at protesters in its largest city. The human rights group Amnesty International said security forces killed at least 12 people in Lagos on Tuesday.
The Nigerian military has denied killing protesters in the Lekki area, sparking further anger. The shooting has sparked global calls for those responsible to be held to account.
Earlier, Nigeria’s vice president promised justice for victims shot during protests against police brutality. Lagos and other parts of Nigeria have seen buildings burned, shopping malls looted and prisons attacked since the shooting.
The Lagos state government imposed an indefinite 24-hour curfew on the 20 million residents of the coastal city on Tuesday night. Other states have taken similar action, including Anambra, which ordered a 24-hour curfew on Thursday.
The protests began about two weeks ago, mostly young people demanding the dissolution of a notorious police unit, the Special Anti-Theft Squad (Sars). Using the hashtag #EndSars, the protesters took the crowds to the streets.
Earlier this year, Amnesty said it had documented at least 82 cases of torture, ill-treatment and extrajudicial executions between January 2017 and May this year against members of the Sars.
Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari dissolved Sars on October 11. But the protests have continued, morphing into demands for broader reforms for the police and the government.
What’s the latest on the riots?
Shots were heard at Ikoyi Prison in Lagos after the army and police thwarted a prison break attempt on Thursday. Inmates reportedly escaped from other prisons after the attacks in Ondo and Delta states.
A BBC reporter also heard gunshots in the Surulere area of Lagos and saw burning tires.
In the suburb of Lekki, a few miles from the toll gate where Tuesday’s shooting occurred, another journalist posted video of a popular shopping mall on fire.
These are the remains of CircleMall in the Jakande area of Lekki https://t.co/AqYLByaVYL
– Kayode Akintemi (@KayodeAkintemi) October 22, 2020
The Lagos Island High Court, the oldest neighborhood in the city, was also set on fire on Wednesday. Residents said the building was ransacked by vandals who took property that had been confiscated by the court and that the fire lasted well into the night.
A major Nigerian television station with ties to a ruling party politician was also burned, while the palace of the most important traditional leader in Lagos was looted.
What did the vice president say?
In a series of tweets, Vice President Yemi Osinbajo did not confirm that security forces had shot and killed protesters on Tuesday.
Instead, he said his “heart goes out to all the victims of the Lekki shootings, and also to the police officers and all the other men and women who have lost their lives in recent days in different parts of Lagos and other states.”
“I spoke with some of those who are in the hospital. The pain of these terrible events is palpable in our towns and cities, and some losses are irreplaceable, but we can and will obtain justice for all, ”he said.
Earlier, Lagos State Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu said that some 25 people had been injured in an “unfortunate shooting incident” and that one man had died of “blunt force trauma to the head”.
In an interview with the BBC, Nigerian Police Minister Muhammad Maigari Dingyadi denied that the security forces shot dead protesters at the Lekki tollbooth.
“I can’t really say who is involved in the shooting. There could be some criminals who have guns, shooting people here and there, ”he said. That account is disputed by Amnesty and several eyewitnesses, who say uniformed men opened fire on a crowd of around 1,000 protesters.
Amnesty International Nigeria said that 10 of the 12 people killed on Tuesday were at the Lekki tollbooth.
Evidence from hospital records and witnesses showed that “the Nigerian army opened fire on thousands of people peacefully calling for good governance and an end to police brutality” at the toll gate, Amnesty added.
President Buhari, who is facing calls to resign from protesters, has yet to comment directly on the shooting. Buhari was in talks with his defense chiefs at a meeting of the national security council on Thursday.
What international reaction has there been?
Calls have risen for the Nigerian government to end the violence and investigate Tuesday’s events, which have caused international concern. The African Union urged on Thursday “all political and social actors to reject the use of violence and respect human rights and the rule of law.”
The United Nations, the European Union, the United Kingdom and the United States have called for those responsible for the killings to be held responsible.
I am deeply concerned about the violence in Nigeria, including the widespread reports of civilian deaths. We ask for an end to all violence. The Nigerian government must urgently investigate reports of brutality by its security forces and hold those responsible to account.
– Dominic Raab (@DominicRaab) October 21, 2020
UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Michelle Bachelet said reports that lights were turned off and CCTV cameras removed at the scene prior to the attack suggested it was “premeditated, planned and coordinated.” .
The United States said it welcomed an “immediate investigation into any use of excessive force by members of the security forces.”
“Those involved must be held accountable under Nigerian law,” US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said in a statement on Thursday.
In addition to diplomats, celebrities, from Manchester United striker Odion Ighalo to pop singer Beyonce Knowles, have also added their voices to calls for justice.
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