A week after the shooting of peaceful demonstrators in Lagos, Nigeria’s army has admitted its soldiers were deployed to restore order, but denied they opened fire on the gathered crowd protesting against police brutality. At least 10 protesters were killed in the Lekki plaza shooting on October 20, according to Amnesty International. The military did not say how the soldiers intervened to curb unrest beyond denying that they shot protesters. The military’s statement came shortly before Amnesty International’s Wednesday publication of an investigation that said it had tracked army vehicles from their Lagos barracks to Lekki Toll Gate using photographs and verified videos of the soldiers’ movements that had been posted on social media. At 6:29pm (17:29 GMT) on October 20, two military vehicles were filmed leaving at Bonny Camp, while later footage shows four others that appear to be used by the military and police, according to the group. The shooting at Lekki plaza took place after authorities imposed the round-the-clock curfew ordering everyone to stay at home. For two days after that, Lagos saw widespread rioting. Overall, Amnesty estimates that 56 people have died across the country since the protest began, including protesters and “thugs who were allegedly hired by the authorities”.
SOURCE: AL JAZEERA