SCORES of Nigerians in South Africa took to the streets of Pretoria at the Nigerian High Commission in solidarity with their patriots who have been protesting for two weeks now over excessive force and abuse by the Special Armed Robbery Squad.
Several protesters died Tuesday night when Nigerian soldiers opened fire on protesters at the Lekki toll gate.
The attack on unarmed protesters, hours after the Lagos State Government imposed a curfew in Lagos, left at least seven people dead, witnesses said.
Some sources reported nine deaths.
The figures are yet unclear.
Several protesters were injured also.
As of press time, scores of injured protesters were receiving treatment at different hospitals in the city, PREMIUM TIMES confirmed.
Emergency personnels and ambulances were initially denied access by Nigerian Army at the Lekki toll plaza Lagos.
Multiple videos captured by citizens show the moment soldiers opened fire on the protesters, and the clips show terrified citizens crouching and screaming as gunshots rented the air.
The attack has drawn widespread condemnations, within and outside the country, with former U.S. presidential candidate, Hilary Clinton, urging President Muhammadu Buhari to “stop killing young protesters.”
Clinton’s call, posted on her Twitter account, came after a number of people taking part in the protests, which have garnered widespread attention due to the viral social media tag #EndSARS, were reportedly shot dead or injured at the Lekki toll gate in Nigeria’s populous city of Lagos on Tuesday night.
“I’m calling on @mbuhari and the @hqnigerianarmy to stop killing young #EndSARS protesters. #StopNigeriaGovernment,” said Hillary Clinton.
Some churches have also opened their doors to protesters to pass the night.
The Lagos State Government says it has ordered an investigation into the incident.
This is according to a statement on the Lagos State official handle posted Tuesday night.
Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu advised the security agents not to arrest anyone on account of the curfew.
The decision to use military force to quell the protests moves politics in West Africa’s most populous nation and largest oil producer into an uncertain phase.
The intervention came just hours after the governor of Lagos declared a curfew across Africa’s most populous city, saying that swelling protests against police brutality had “degenerated into a monster,” setting up a showdown between demonstrators and the government.
Sanwo-Olu said on his Twitter feed that a curfew would come into effect at 4 p.m. local time on Tuesday and affect all parts of the state, which is home to more than 20 million people.
“Nobody except essential service providers and first responders must be found on the streets” the governor said.
“We will not watch and allow anarchy in our dear state.”
Tensions have escalated across the oil-rich West African nation in recent days as violence has flared across several cities across southern and central states.
Armed groups—which demonstrators say were government agitators, a charge the government and its allies has denied—have clashed with protesters, property has been vandalized and in the southwestern Edo state, dozens of prisoners were freed in a jail break, prompting the state governor to impose a curfew.
On Monday, Amnesty spokesperson Isa Sanusi told Agence France-Presse that at least 15 people had been killed, including two policemen, since the protests erupted earlier this month.
(SOURCE: AGENCIES)
