Nigerian forces killed 12 peaceful protesters, says Amnesty: Live Unrest spreads in Lagos a day after witnesses and rights groups say soldiers opened fire at a crowd protesting against police brutality.
- *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 labeled several reports as fake news.
Here are the latest updates:
20:45 GMT – CPJ calls for journalists’ safety to be protected amid Nigeria protests
The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) has called on Nigerian authorities to allow journalists to continue to do their jobs while covering protests against police brutality in the West African country.
“Journalists in Nigeria must be permitted to freely report on demonstrations without threat of violence or intimidation,” said Angela Quintal, CPJ’s Africa program coordinator.
“Journalists in Nigeria are too often attacked simply for working to keep the Nigerian public and the world informed about what is happening in their country. Journalists’ safety is part of what it means to have freedom of the press, and is critical for Nigerian democracy.”
18:40 GMT – SARS: Why are tens of thousands of Nigerians protesting?
For two weeks Nigeria has been rocked by protests that erupted against police violence and evolved into broader anti-government demonstrations led by the country’s youth, leading to a deadly crackdown.
Young people mobilizing through social media began staging demonstrations calling for the abolition of the Federal Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS), which has long been accused of unlawful arrests, torture, and extrajudicial killings.
18:20 GMT – ECOWAS urges restraint
The Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) has expressed concern about developments in Nigeria, urging both security forces and protesters to exercise restraint.
“While the ECOWAS commission recognizes the right of citizens to freedom of expression and peaceful assembly and protest, it is also of the view that those rights should be exercised in a non-violent manner.”
“In this regard, ECOWAS commission calls on all protesters to remain peaceful in the conduct of their demonstrations. It also urges the Nigerian security operatives to exercise restrain in the handling of the protests and act professionally.”
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.
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.
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