Protests against police brutality in Nigeria have turned deadly, with at least one person confirmed dead and dozens more left wounded after army reportedly opened fire at demonstrators.
Nationwide protests against a police unit called Special Anti-Robbery Squad (Sars) have been taking place for two weeks. Demonstrators have been using the social media hashtag #EndSars to rally crowds against the squad after they have been accused of shooting and killing a young man in South Nigeria.
Amnesty said that the Nigerian army and police killed at least 12 peaceful protesters on 20 October, however, Nigeria’s army dismissed the reports as “fake news” in a post on Twitter.
Calls for protests started on 8 October, calling to disband the unit. Though they are leaderless, the demonstrations are mostly driven by young people who say they have been unfairly profiled by SARS.
On 11 October, Nigeria’s President Muhammadu Buhari disbanded Sars, but protests have not been satisfied with the announcement and continued, with demands for more changes in the security forces, as well as reforms to the way the country is run.
Following the alleged army shooting on Tuesday, social media footage streamed live from the scene show protesters tending to the wounded.
