Nigeria security forces ‘kill’ protesters after curfew order’

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Actor Idris Elba and footballer Odion Ighalo led a wave of outrage today after Nigerian security forces allegedly shot and killed protesters rallying against police brutality last night. 

British actor Elba called on Africans to ‘unite in protest’ after Amnesty International said there was ‘credible but disturbing evidence’ of demonstrators being killed in Lagos after weeks of anger at Nigeria’s loathed Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS).

Manchester United player Ighalo, who has played 35 times for Nigeria, said he was ‘sad and heartbroken’ by the violence and called the country’s government a ‘shame to the world’.  

While authorities have played down the violence, saying 25 had been injured and perhaps one had died, Amnesty said there were ‘several’ deaths after gunfire at a key protest venue which it squarely blamed on the government.   

Witnesses said armed men opened fire on a crowd of more than 1,000 people who defied a curfew in Lagos which was imposed hours earlier because of the spiralling protests.   

Anger over abuses by the SARS squad erupted into protests two weeks ago that drew thousands onto the streets. 

Rights groups have long accused SARS of of extortion, harassment, torture and murders, and many young protesters are demanding more sweeping reforms.  

Elba, 48, said: ‘What’s happening is an atrocity, a murder… we have to show them that we care about what’s going on. Please, do something, say something.

‘People should not be persecuted for protesting and basically murdered so I’m calling for the other African leaders to say something to the leadership of Nigeria right now. 

Ighalo voiced his anger from Paris last night where his Manchester United team-mates had just played in the Champions League – urging his followers to ‘pray for Nigeria’. 

‘I’m sad and heartbroken… I’m not the kind of guy that talks about politics but I can’t keep quiet anymore for what is going on back home in Nigeria,’ he said. 

‘I would say Nigeria government, you guys are a shame to the world for killing your own citizens, sending military to the streets to kill unharmful protesters because they are protesting for their rights is uncalled for.

‘Today, October 20, 2020, you people will be remembered in history … I am ashamed of this government, we are tired of you guys and we can’t take this anymore.’ 

British boxer Anthony Joshua also condemned the ‘horrendous’ violence last night, saying he was praying for the ‘heroes of Nigeria’. 

He said: ‘The situation has escalated, the violence and killings are horrendous. All because of people saying they want to live in peace? 

‘I’m looking at hospitals to support, along with food and care packages in the time being.’ 

In the political world, Labour’s shadow foreign secretary Lisa Nandy said she was ‘horrified by scenes and reports of killings and brutality from Nigeria’.  

Claims of killings emerged last night as Amnesty’s Nigeria spokesman Isa Sanusi said that ‘people were killed at the tollgate by security forces’, referring to a key protest site in the city.   

He said the rights group was ‘working on verifying how many’. 

‘We were all sitting down, peacefully, and they shut down the lights and the billboards, everyone started screaming,’ a female protester called Toye said.

‘They came to us, but I don’t know who it was. They were shooting, and everyone was running for his life.’

Another protester, Innocent, said he was helping to ferry the wounded to nearby hospitals. 

‘Currently I have two people that I rush in my car, a woman and a guy, who are in very critical conditions,’ he said.

‘I rushed two people already to hospital. One was shot at the back, and one was shot at the stomach.’ 

Scenes of people removing a bullet from someone’s wound and pleading for help were broadcast in a live video by popular entertainer DJ Switch. 

Lagos state governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu visited injured people in hospital after what he referred to as an ‘unfortunate shooting incident’ – but denied that there had been fatalities. 

‘We are comforted that we have not recorded any fatality, as against the widespread circulation on social media,’ the governor said, adding that he had ordered an investigation into ‘the rules of engagement employed by the men of the Nigerian army that were deployed to Lekki tollgate last night’. 

There has been no independent confirmation of the death toll. 

Earlier defiant protesters at the scene had sung the national anthem and pledged to remain out on the streets despite the stay-at-home order. 

Activists have accused ‘thugs and sponsored hoodlums’ of attacking the peaceful rallies and seeking to discredit the protest movement. 

Governor Sanwo-Olu ordered the round-the-clock shutdown in the sprawling economic hub on Tuesday, claiming the protests had ‘degenerated into a monster’ as violence flared in a string of cities.

‘Criminals and miscreants are now hiding under the umbrella of these protests to unleash mayhem,’ he said, insisting that only essential workers should stay out on the streets.

‘We will not watch and allow anarchy in our dear state.’

As the tone hardened from the authorities, Nigeria’s police chief ordered anti-riot units deployed around the country.

‘The force will henceforth exercise the full powers of the law to prevent any further attempt on lives and property of citizens,’ a statement said.

Up until Tuesday, some 18 people had died in the demonstrations as clashes were reported between protesters and assailants wearing civilian clothes.

Witnesses said a police station was set ablaze in the Orile Iganmu district of Lagos on Tuesday morning. 

They said police opened fire on protesters, wounding several.

In the capital Abuja, security forces violently dispersed crowds during the day on Tuesday and thick black smoke could be seen over the city.

Violence spread as well to the largest northern city of Kano as hundreds of people went on a rampage, burning vehicles and looting businesses. 

A curfew also went into effect in Benin City after a pair of attacks on correctional facilities that left 1,993 inmates missing. 

The government announced the scrapping of the SARS unit and a raft of reforms over a week ago, but the bid to placate the protesters has failed.

Officials have called for the demonstrations to be suspended to give the authorities time to make good on their pledges.

Nigeria – where the median age is 18 – is a tinderbox of profound economic and social grievances.

Around half of the population of 200million is estimated to live in extreme poverty and unemployment is widespread among the youth.

Africa’s biggest oil producer is currently facing a recession as the fall in crude prices sparked by the coronavirus pandemic has battered government finances.

The Lagos Chamber of Commerce said in a statement that estimated economic losses in the past 12 days were at 700 billion naira $1.8 billion.

On Tuesday, the Senate called on President Muhammadu Buhari to address the nation on the protests ‘as a matter of urgency’.