How The Nigerian Army Opened Fire On Unarmed #EndSars Protesters

The clamor for good governance and an end to police brutality developed into a powerful #EndSars Protest which has been going on for over a week. The  defiance of the protesters gathered the attention of several celebrities and personalities; including Jack the ceo of Twitter, Gabrielle Union, Tyler Perry, Diddy, and many others.

However, 20th October 2020, is a date to be remembered in Nigeria as the Nigerian army descended on unarmed; #Endsars and #Endpolicebrutality protesters and fired guns and ammunitions leading to the death of plenty protesters.

Outrage has since followed this massacre as an uprising is already happening in Nigeria. Internet connections are badly affected as well as the emergence of irate youths who are angry with the government and the massacre.

Massacre Of The Protesters

According to OkayAfrica, “The news of heavy fire at Lekki Toll Gate comes shortly after the State Governor, Babajide Sanwo-Olu; abruptly declared a 24-hour curfew in Lagos. Sanwo-Olu justified the enforcement of the curfew saying that the protests have; “degenerated into a monster threatening the wellbeing of our society” and adding that “criminals and miscreants are now hiding under the umbrella of these protests to unleash mayhem on our state”.

Protesters on the ground have continued to share footage of what is currently taking place at Lekki Toll Gate on social media. Earlier videos reportedly showed unknown men removing what appear to be CCTV cameras from the region shortly before the shooting commenced.

Also, a Prominent Nigerian artist DJ Switch, who at the time was at the protests; went live on Instagram while she and other protesters were attempting to remove a bullet from the leg of an individual who had been shot. Another gruesome image has also surfaced on social media showing a protestor who is bleeding profusely while the Nigerian flag is being used to abate the bleeding.

Despite the mayhem and chaos, Neither President Muhammadu Buhari nor the Inspector General, Mohammed Adamu, have addressed or responded to the events at Lekki Toll Gate as yet. Additionally, both the United Nations and the African Union have not released any statements condemning the recent violence against protesters.