Wednesday, October 21, 2020

Outrage in Nigeria after peaceful protesters shot at: Today's follow-up news


For days now, Nigeria has been wretched by protests. The unrest continues as the government of Nigeria is yet to find a long lasting solution to the call of the protesters. 

World widely, many know Nigeria as a terrorized country. Also the country is overwhelmed by criminal acts and brutalities mostly committed by the federal special anti-robbery squad  (SARS).This last, caused the current protest in Nigeria. 

Sad enough, the protest is now becoming bloody as several protesters are hunted down by the Nigerian military force. Details......

Unrest spreads in Lagos a day after witnesses and rights groups say soldiers opened fire at a crowd protesting against police brutality.

 

 

People demonstrate on the street to protest against police brutality, in Lagos, Nigeria [Sunday Alamba/AP]

Unrest spread in Lagos on Wednesday, a day after witnesses and rights groups said army soldiers opened fire on a crowd of peaceful protesters defying a curfew during demonstrations against police brutality in Nigeria’s largest city.

Lagos State Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu has said one person has died at a hospital following the shooting, but it was unclear if the person was a protester. He said 30 people were injured.

Amnesty International said it was investigating “credible but disturbing evidence of excessive use of force occasioning deaths of protesters” at the Lekki toll plaza in Lagos.

Videos showed men in uniform opening fire on demonstrators in Lagos. Nigeria’s military, however, denied responsibility for the Lekki shootings, posting a tweet that labelled several reports as fake news.


17:40 GMT – UK ‘deeply concerned, calls for end to Nigeria violence

British Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab said he was “deeply concerned” by recent clashes in Nigeria and reports of civilian deaths, and called for “an end to violence”.

“I am deeply concerned by the recent violence and continued clashes in Nigeria, and am alarmed by widespread reports of civilian deaths,” he said in a statement.

“We call for an end to violence. The Nigerian government must urgently investigate reports of brutality at the hands of the security forces and hold those responsible to account,” he added.


17:00 GMT – At least 12 killed in Nigeria protest shootings: Amnesty

The Nigerian army and police killed at least 12 peaceful protesters in two locations of Lagos in a deadly crackdown on demonstrations, Amnesty International said.

“Evidence gathered from eyewitnesses, video footage and hospital reports confirm that between 6:45 pm (1745 GMT) and 9:00 pm (2000 GMT) on Tuesday 20 October, the Nigerian military opened fire on thousands of people who were peacefully calling for good governance and an end to police brutality,” the group said in a statement. 

A protester raise the Nigerian national flag at a barricade mounted by potesters on the Lagos-Ibadan expressway [Pius Utomi Ekpei/AFP]

 

16:40 GMT – Ghana’s Akufo-Addo calls for calm

Ghanaian President Nana Akufo-Addo has called for calm in Nigeria amid the ongoing demonstrations, saying violence, whether by security forces or protesters, cannot be the solution to the West African nation’s ills.

 

15:14 GMT – Dr SID: ‘If not now, then when?’

Many high-profile musicians, actors and celebrities in Nigeria and abroad have backed the protests calling for the abolition of a notorious police unit known as SARS and the implementation of wider reforms.

Speaking to Al Jazeera from Lagos, entertainer and entrepreneur Sidney Esiri, also known by his artist name Dr SID, said the “situation in Nigeria had gone to the point, where you have to look at it and say, ‘if not now, then when?’

“We’ve had this particular situation come up for SARS for the last four years, it has been disbanded numerous times and resurfaced again,” he said.

“We the people, we are committed to peacefully protesting and exercising our rights as citizens to demonstrate for our cause but some arms of government, of different people, have found ways to disrupt this peaceful process and turn it into something violent so that they have the excuse to bring in the military, which is what they did yesterday.”

He added: “From the beginning, all we want to do is have reform in Nigeria, starting with the police, starting with the government officials, starting with the policies that are affecting the average Nigerian. We just want to be able to live in a country where we can survive, where we can thrive, where we have an opportunity to grow – and that has been denied to us for many years.”


15:00 GMT – Nigerian President Buhari appeals for calm

Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari has appealed for calm in a statement, urging Nigerians to have patience while police reforms “gather pace”, without mentioning Tuesday’s shooting.

“The presidency appeals for understanding and calm across the nation, as the implementation of the reform gathers pace at federal and state levels,” presidential spokesman Femi Adesina said.

Demonstrators gather on the street to protest against alleged police brutality, despite a round-the-clock curfew imposed by the authorities on the Nigerian state of Lagos [Temilade Adelaja/Reuters]



14:00 GMT – Authorities turned peaceful protest into shooting spree: HRW

Human Rights Watch has called on authorities to withdraw soldiers from the streets and hold accountable those responsible for using forces against peaceful demonstrations.

“Nigerian authorities turned a peaceful protest against police brutality into a shooting spree, showing the ugly depths they are willing to go to suppress the voices of citizens,” Anietie Ewang, Nigeria researcher at Human Rights Watch, said in a statement.

“The authorities should immediately withdraw the military from the streets, and identify and prosecute officers responsible for or complicit in any excessive use of force against peaceful protesters.”


13:45 – Lagos governor says he ordered probe into army actions

In a televised address, the Lagos governor said he has ordered an investigation into the actions of the military at Lekki plaza, suggesting the army may be responsible for the shooting.

“This is with a view to taking this up with a higher command of the military and to seek the intervention of Mr. President in his capacity as a commander in chief to unravel the sequence of events that happened yesterday night,” he said.


13:37 GMT –  UN chief calls for end to police brutality

United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has called for an end to what he called “brutality” by police in Nigeria.

In a statement, Guterres’s spokesman said the UN chief “urges the security forces to act at all times with maximum restraint while calling on protestors to demonstrate peacefully and to refrain from violence”.


13:30 GMT – Top EU envoy condemns Nigeria protest killings

The European Union’s foreign policy chief Josep Borrell has condemned the killing of protesters and has called for justice.

“It is alarming to learn that several people have been killed and injured during the ongoing protests against the Special Anti-Robbery Squad in Nigeria,” he said.

“It is crucial that those responsible of abuses be brought to justice and held accountable.”


13:15 GMT – Nigerian TV station torched in Lagos: Director

A major Nigerian TV station linked to one of the ruling party’s top politicians has been set ablaze.

TVC managing director Andrew Hanlon told AFP news agency that “hoodlums” had attacked the station with petrol bombs and that its main building was an “inferno”.

 

SOURCE: News Agencies

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