(5 minutes read)
· President Muhammadu Buhari called upon young Nigerians to end the stir and not to “undermine national security
· It is the first time the president speaking about the agitation though in a televised program
· The United Nations, the African Union, the European Union etc also condemned the incident and called for earliest settlement of the issue
· President Buhari shrugged off the concerns and told the international community to ascertain all facts before taking a stand.
Security forces are patrolling in Lagos to ensure law and order in the largest city of Nigeria rocked by violent agitations on account of the endSARS agitations. Witnesses report that there were sporadic sounds of gun shots. The shooting of protesters sparked condemnation at home and abroad.
President Muhammadu Buhari called upon young Nigerians to end the stir and not to “undermine national security. It is the first time the president was speaking about the agitation though in a televised program. Alluding that there were vested interests behind spreading the agitation, he said that the youth were being used by some subversive elements to cause chaos. He did not specify which group is behind the agitation.
Police officers are currently patrolling major parts of the city to ensure the safety of residents and were asking people to stay indoors. The trigger of the agitation was a video of an officer allegedly killing a civilian going viral on 8 October. The government had disbanded the police unit accused of brutality known as the federal Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS). Yet, protests spread and violence escalated. Another video showing police shooting at a peaceful rally had also gone viral, which added fuel to the fire.
Amnesty International condemned the incident so also several people from different walks of life across geographies. More than a dozen people have lost their lives during the agitation, which also spread to other regions and across geographies.
US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo called for an immediate investigation into violence by security forces. The United Nations, the African Union, the European Union etc also condemned the incident and called for the earliest settlement of the issue. But President
Buhari shrugged off the concerns and told the international community to ascertain all facts before taking a stand.
The Governor of Lagos, who imposed a round-the-clock curfew on the deadly shooting, published a list of 21 cases of policemen who were being prosecuted for violating human rights.
