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SPARKER: Demonstrations against police violence have been met with more police violence.
The Nigerian president calls for an end to the unrest in the country, but avoids mentioning that the police and army opened fire and killed several protesters.
Nigerian special police forces are charged with murder, torture and extortion, and have sparked a wave of demonstrations in the past two weeks.
Peaceful protesters, wearing the Nigerian flag and singing the national anthem, has been shot in the open air. According to Amnesty International, at least 56 people have died in demonstrations across the country in the past 14 days.
Now, the demonstrations have caused increasing chaos and unrest: in Lagos, Africa’s largest city, there have been several shootings and looting of shops since then. In addition, a prison caught fire, reports NTB.
BACKGROUND: Violence in Nigeria creates disgust around the world
WARNING: President Muhammadu Buhari believes that protesters in Nigeria are being misled by insurgents. Photo: Bayo Omoboriowo / Nigerian State House
In a speech Thursday, President Muhammadu Buhari warned protesters against “undermining national security.” It was his first speech to the people since Tuesday’s violent clashes, which he did not mention directly.
Instead, he blamed the instigators who, according to him, have “kidnapped and deceived” the protest movement, writes NTB.
– This will not be allowed under any circumstances, says the president.
The president promises the people reforms to end police violence, but at the same time a curfew and a state of emergency have been introduced to end the demonstration.
The protests took off when a video was released online of what were supposed to be police from the Special Anti-Theft Squad (SARS) who shot and killed a young man and stole his car.
The police claim that the video is false, but many Nigerians have been subjected to violence and abuse by this same force.
– The special police force is used to suppress the opposition, stop protests and protect electoral fraud, says Chime Onuegbo, leader of the Nigerian Association in Norway.
PACIFIC: Protesters who have not behaved violently, however, have been shot dead by police.
I should stop the robbery
The force in question was established in 1992, when armed gangs terrorized the civilian population in various places, especially in the country’s largest city, Lagos. SARS operated in civilian clothes, was freed from the rest of the police and quickly went from being a specialist in stopping robbery and organized crime, to becoming the main police force in the country.
But in the last decade, SARS itself has operated as a dangerous and armed group, accused by Amnesty of severe torture in its custody jails, and charged with violence, murder and large-scale extortion.
The country’s government has felt compelled to disband the special forces, but this has not led to a halt to the protests.
Endorsed by celebrities
Protesters against police violence support celebrities around the world, including sprinter Ezinne Okparaebo.
– It hurts to witness what is happening in Nigeria. What we see is a new generation of intrepid young people who have taken to the streets in peaceful demonstrations with only the flag as protection. They want a better and safer Nigeria. People deserve better, writes Okparaebo in a text message to VG.
RECORD HOLDER: Okparaebo holds the Norwegian record for 100 meters. Photo: Bjørn S. Delebekk
– I think it’s good for people to say so. Whether one is of Nigerian descent or not. I am of Nigerian descent so this is very close to me. We stand in solidarity with the protesters and support them the best we can. The world must know what is happening, he continues.
– Police violence, murder or corruption will not be tolerated, whether it occurs in Norway, the United States or Nigeria. We must always unite against injustice.
