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Police violence escalates: these photos and videos show what is currently happening in Nigeria
Nearly two-week protests against excessive police violence in Nigeria reached a new high on Wednesday night. In officially unconfirmed reports, there were indications of numerous deaths and injuries during a police operation in Lagos.
Peaceful protests against police violence
Image: keystone
“Amnesty International has received credible but disturbing evidence of the excessive use of force that led to the deaths of protesters at the Lekki tollbooth in Lagos,” the human rights organization wrote on Twitter.
He reminded authorities that the use of deadly force by security authorities was only allowed in some extreme cases.
Panic in the streets of Lagos
The provincial government confirmed the evidence of a shooting and announced an investigation into the proceedings.
Authorities imposed a 24-hour curfew on and around the West African state’s largest city on Tuesday.
According to previous knowledge, protesters at a toll station that had been occupied for days had refused to leave and respect the curfew. “There were reports of gunfire,” said a state spokesman of the same name.
There were also reports on social media that the police opened fire on the crowd.
Former US Secretary of State Hilary Clinton and former US Vice President Joe Biden expressed their concern and called for an end to violence against protesters. Music star Rihanna wrote on Twitter that it was unbearable to see what happened in Nigeria.
“It is such a betrayal of citizens that the very people who are supposed to protect them are now the ones we should fear most of being killed.”
The protests were sparked by a video showing an officer from the now-defunct Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS) elite unit killing a young man and circulating on social media.
The protests quickly spread internationally under the hashtag #EndSARS and also led to protest rallies abroad. The protesters are now calling for far-reaching police reforms in their country. (aeg / sda / dpa)
