EndSARS: – – New demonstrations in Nigeria:

Despite the fact that the authorities introduced a 24-hour curfew last night, the demonstrations again spread in several of the country’s largest cities on Wednesday.

According to The Guardian, protesters have set up barricades in some parts of Lagos, while police have set up roadblocks. It is also reported that several buildings were set on fire in the Lekki district on Wednesday, writes BBC.

Violent demonstrations have also been reported in the capital, Abuja. At the same time, there has been a report from a local reporter that four people have been shot and killed during demonstrations in the city of Benin on Wednesday night, but this has so far not been confirmed.

Several killed

Also during the demonstrations on Tuesday, there were various reports of deaths. While it was reported locally that close to 20 were killed, Amnesty International says that at least 12 were killed.

Evidence gathered from eyewitnesses, video footage and hospital reports confirms that between 6.45pm and 9pm, the Nigerian military opened fire on thousands of people who had gathered peacefully and called for good governance and an end to police brutality, the human rights organization said. in a statement Wednesday night, according to NTB.

According to the AP news agency, the governor of Lagos has confirmed that one person died from the injuries in hospital, and that at least 25 people were injured when military forces fired on the protesters on Tuesday.

The army, for its part, denies having shot anyone and dismisses it all as “fake news”.

Shortly before, the demonstrations were described as festive and peaceful, with many bringing the Nigerian flag and singing the national anthem.

Violence and torture

Nigerians have been protesting for two weeks against police violence across the country, from the special forces abbreviated SARS.

For decades, their main task has been to deal with the most serious crime in the country, but they have become just as well known for violence, torture, sexual abuse, murder and widespread corruption.

The spiral of violence in the country has received international attention, among other things under the hashtag #EndSARS. Both the UN and the EU have condemned the reports that have substantiated the use of violence and stated that they are concerned about the development of violence in recent days.

Yesterday, the Democratic presidential candidate in the United States, Joe Biden, also asked the Nigerian authorities to stop the violence against the protesters.

The authorities already promised in 2018 that there would be changes in the special forces, without anything happening. They did the same in 2019, writes CNN.

Promises reforms again

After the demonstrations started two weeks ago, President Mohammed Abubakar Adamu has announced that the special forces will now be disbanded and that the troops will be relocated.

He has also stated that the country will initiate comprehensive police reforms.

The protesters, for their part, say they will not give up until they actually see that reforms are being initiated throughout the police.

Nigeria is Africa’s most populous country with about 214 million inhabitants. As many as 60 per cent of the population are under the age of 24 and a very high proportion of young people do not have a job.

Nigeria also has the continent’s largest economy, much of which is linked to oil revenues. The corona pandemic has therefore hit the country hard. At the same time, the wealth in the country is very unevenly distributed and many live in great poverty.