Categories: World

12 peaceful demonstrators shot dead by security forces in Nigeria

Nigeria's security forces fired upon two large gatherings of peaceful demonstrators, killing 12 people protesting against police brutality in Lagos, according to a report by Amnesty International on Wednesday.

Soldiers fired at the protesters who had gathered in the Lekki district of Nigeria's largest city on Tuesday night in defiance of an indefinite curfew imposed hours earlier by the authorities, according to several witnesses.

Hundreds of people were at the site at the time of the shooting, which witnesses said took place around 7 p.m. (local time), according to media reports.

The #EndSARS protests began amid calls for Nigeria's government to close the police Special Anti-Robbery Squad, known as SARS, but has become a much wider demand for better governance in Nigeria.

Amnesty International said it had received "credible but disturbing evidence of excessive use of force occasioning deaths of protesters at Lekki toll gate in Lagos", adding that it was investigating "the killings".

In a Twitter post, the Nigerian Army said no soldiers were at the scene of the shooting on Tuesday night.

The state government earlier said it would open an investigation into the shooting. A Nigerian army spokesman did not immediately respond to requests for comment..

IANS

Recent Posts

PM Modi distributes 71,000 appointment letters to newly appointed recruits, says, “Development of country happens through its youth”

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday distributed more than 71,000 appointment letters to newly appointed…

15 minutes ago

“Honoured:” says Chennai-born Sriram Krishnan, Trump’s pick for Policy Advisor on AI

US President-elect Donald Trump has chosen Sriram Krishnan as senior policy advisor for Artificial Intelligence…

1 hour ago

Taiwan faces almost 1 million monthly cyber attacks from China

Chinese hackers launch an average of 900,000 attacks on Taiwan's Legislative Yuan (LY) each month,…

2 hours ago

Foreign Secy reaffirms deepening of India-Mauritius ties during visit to the nation

Foreign Secretary, Vikram Misri, paid his first official visit to Mauritius on December 20-22. The…

3 hours ago

PM Modi meets President of Kuwait Heritage Society, praises works of preserving India-Kuwaiti artefacts

Official Spokesperson of the Ministry of External Affairs, Randhir Jaiswal said that Prime Minister Narendra…

3 hours ago

EAM Jaishankar honoured with Sri Chandrasekarendra Saraswathi National Eminence Award for public leadership

External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar was awarded the Sri Chandrasekarendra Saraswathi National Eminence Award for…

21 hours ago