By SAM OLUKOYA, Related Press
LAGOS, Nigeria (AP) — Nigerian protests towards police brutality continued Friday for the ninth day, with demonstrators heading off assaults from gangs suspected to be backed by the police, warnings from the Nigerian army, and a authorities order to cease due to COVID-19.
In Lagos, Nigeria’s largest metropolis, protesters blocked the highway to the worldwide airport and the principle freeway into town. The Lagos-Ibadan freeway, one in all Nigeria’s busiest, is the principle highway linking the port metropolis to the remainder of Nigeria.
Protesters within the capital, Abuja, devoted the day to Nigerians they cost have been killed by the police Particular Anti Theft Squad, often called SARS. The unit has killed and tortured many Nigerians, based on human rights teams.
The #EndSARS marketing campaign has attracted worldwide assist, together with from supporters of Black Lives Matter within the U.S. and Twitter co-founder Jack Dorsey who has retweeted posts from Nigerian demonstrators.
The protests erupted final week after a video circulated on-line displaying a person being crushed, apparently by police from the SARS unit. In response to the widespread demonstrations by younger Nigerians, the federal government mentioned it will disband the SARS unit, however the protesters are persevering with, saying they need an finish to all police brutality.
The largely peaceable protesters have been attacked in current days by gangs armed with weapons, knives, golf equipment, and machetes. The protesters say they’re decided to proceed and cost that the attackers are backed by the police, based on experiences within the native press.
Nigeria’s army issued a warning towards “subversive components and troublemakers,” saying the military would “keep legislation and order, and cope with any state of affairs decisively.”
Authorities within the capital have referred to as for an finish to all protests within the metropolis, saying the gatherings danger spreading COVID-19 however a protester in Abuja mentioned they’re ignoring the order.
“If they’re honest, they might have banned the crowded rallies politicians have been holding,” protester John Uche informed The Related Press.
Copyright 2020 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This materials might not be revealed, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
