Headlines
VIDEO: Harvest of deaths as violence takes over #EndSARS protests
BY NICHOLAS ABE
No fewer than 49 persons lost their lives in the violence that overshadowed the #EndSARS protests across the federation Tuesday, according to The Punch.
Casualties were recorded on both the side of protesters and security agents who came under the attack of hoodlums trying to hijack the peaceful protests.
At least 43 protesters and six policemen were said to have lost their lives, with Lagos State alone reportedly recording 29 of the deaths.
The protests had been conducted peacefully until hoodlums started unleashing terror on the protesters and innocent citizens. This has consequently led to the declaration of curfews in some states by the various governments.
The protesters are demanding for the complete disbandment of the Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS), compensation for families of victims of SARS and total reformation of the Nigerian Police Force for effectiveness.
In very tragic development, armed soldiers stormed the Lekki toll plaza (see video below), one of the major protest grounds in Lagos and allegedly shot sporadically at the #EndSARS protesters, killing no less than seven persons in the process.
Many protesters were said to have sustained bullet wounds as a result of the attack that suddenly came just after the billboard on the tollgate and the streetlights around the premises were switched off. It was learnt that the CCTV cameras had earlier been disconnected.
About 11 persons who sustained gunshot wounds were rushed to the Reddington Hospital, Lekki, where they were being attended to.
When RELIABLESOURCENG.COM called the hospital at about 10.30pm, we were told that a number of injured protesters from the toll gate had been brought to the hospital and were being attended to. The customer service person who spoke with us could not give further details as “the nurses and doctors were very busy,” we were told.
In Ogun State, hoodlums, who hijacked the protest on Tuesday killed an officer of the Nigeria Customs Service, Ogun Area Command I, and injured another during an attack on Customs men along Owode-Idiroko Road.
In Sabon Gari area of the Kano metropolis, eyewitnesses said four people were killed when hoodlums attacked #EndSARS protesters.
In Edo State, youths and hoodlums in Benin defied the 24-hour curfew imposed by the state government and clashed with policemen.
During a clash at Santana Market on the Sapele Road, two people were shot dead by the police trying to disperse protesters.
Aba, the commercial capital of Abia State was not left behind in the orgy of violence.
Angry youths attacked and set ablaze a police station located along Umuoba Road axis of Ogbor Hill.
Also attacked was another police station; Eziama Police Division located near the popular Bata junction along Aba-Ikot Ekpene Expressway.
A viral online video showed a team of soldiers who fired in the air to scare some protesters at an unspecified location eventually retreated and flee when the youths refused to be intimidated by the staccato of gunshots.
When contacted the Abia State Public Relations Officer, PPRO Geoffrey Ogbonna said at Aba, two police officers were killed on Tuesday. He said that he was not aware of the killing of any protester.
See Video of Army bombardment of Lekki toll gate:
Let it be on record that our government killed us because we asked that they stopped killing us, it's just so unfortunately that our brothers in the military made themselves the tool for our death#EndSARS#LekkiMassacre pic.twitter.com/R4moIth3Uq
— Ola Teju (@iamteju4real) October 21, 2020