Akinbosola Ogunsanya, a witness to the protests, said the shooting began after lights were turned off at Lekki Tolgate in the Nigerian city. “Members of the Nigerian army pulled over us and they started firing,” he said. “They were shooting, they were firing directly, directly at us, and hit a lot of people. I just survived, barely.”
Ogunsanya added that barricades on both sides of the scene were blocking the ambulance.
Another witness, Temple Onanugbo, said he heard they believe bullets were fired from his nearby home and the noise “lasted about 15 to 30 minutes.”
Speaking to CNN from the scene of the shooting, On Nanugbo said he saw “several bodies lying on the ground” when he arrived to help the injured.
CNN has not yet confirmed the casualties.
The state government has ordered an investigation into the incident, according to Gaboega Acosile, a spokesman for the Lagos governor. Lagos Governor Babajid Sanwo-Olu also “advised security agents not to arrest anyone because of the curfew,” according to an Acosile tweet.
Earlier in the day, Sanwo-Olu imposed a 24-hour curfew, which included closing all Lagos schools. Only essential service providers and first responders are allowed on the streets of Lagos, with an estimated population of over 200 million.
“Dear Lagosians, I am shocked to see what started as a peaceful #EndSARS protest fell into a monster that is threatening the well-being of our society,” Sanvo-Olu tweeted as he announced the curfew at 4pm (local time). Curry. .
Deaths and serious injuries have been reported since the weekend amid protests.
Amnesty International said on its Twitter account on Tuesday that it had received “credible but unsubstantiated evidence” of “excessive use of force at the time of the death of an opponent.”
A 17-year-old man died in police custody on Monday in the northern city of Kano, according to human rights groups. On the same day, many protesters and journalists were attacked by police and thugs in the capital Abuja. Video on social media showed dozens of cars burning in connection with the protests, and Amnesty International said three people had been killed.
Amnesty also tweeted: “As we continue to investigate the killings, Amnesty International would like to remind international authorities that under international law, security forces will resort to lethal force only when the imminent threat of death or serious injury is imminent.” ” .
Other videos show a mass breakout of hundreds of inmates at the Benin Correctional Center in Edo State, southern Nigeria. It is unclear who should be blamed for the breakout, with protesters claiming the police raised it. The Nigerian police force said in a tweet that the weapons and ammunition had been removed from the arsenal before the protesters could be released from custody and the facilities were easily cordoned off.
Edo State Governor Godwin Obaseki imposed a curfew on Monday, “tweeting about incidents of vandalism and attacks on private individuals and organizations by Hudlam in the guise of AIDS SARS opponents.”
Riot police have been deployed across the country. According to a tweet from the Nigerian police force on Tuesday evening, Nigeria’s Inspector General of Police has ordered the immediate deployment of nationwide anti-riot police officers to “protect the lives and property of all Nigerians and ensure critical national infrastructural security across the country.”
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