Worldwide outrage after excessive police violence against demonstrators in Nigeria

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A man protests against the security forces in Nigeria's capital, Lagos

Photo: Sunday Alamba / AP

The violent protests against excessive police violence in Nigeria are endless.

Citizens of the West African country have been protesting in the capital Lagos for two weeks, and security forces are brutalizing the demonstrators.

According to observers, several deaths and injuries occurred and the police are said to have fired shots.

International associations and human rights activists now condemn the violence.

He called on "all political and social stakeholders to reject violence and to respect human rights and the rule of law," said Moussa Faki Mahamat, head of the African Union, in a statement published on Wednesday.

The protests were triggered by a video showing an officer of the now defunct elite unit Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS) killing a young man.

The video spread across social media.

Under the hashtag #EndSARS, the protests received international attention and also led to protest rallies abroad.

The Nigerian government responded with a curfew on Wednesday, but the demonstrations continued.

Amnesty International provides evidence of killings

Both the EU and the United Nations and eyewitnesses unanimously reported deaths and injuries in Lagos.

The human rights organization Amnesty International said it had evidence that at least 12 people had been killed by security forces.

The governor of the state of the same name, Babajide Sanwo-Olu, spoke of 25 injured, but denied fatalities.

Former US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and former US Vice President Joe Biden expressed concern and, like UN Secretary General António Guterres, called for an end to the violence against the demonstrators.

In a statement on Twitter, Guterres wrote: "I condemn the violent escalation in Lagos, Nigeria, which resulted in numerous deaths and injuries."

He called for an end to police violence.

Nigeria's government must immediately look for ways to de-escalate the situation.

The EU Foreign Affairs Representative Josep Borrell also expressed his condolences to the relatives of the dead and said: "It is alarming to learn that several people were killed and injured during the ongoing protests."

Those responsible would have to be held accountable.

In addition to politicians and human rights activists, pop star Rihanna also spoke on Twitter.

It is unbearable to watch what is happening in Nigeria.

"It is such a betrayal of the citizens that the same people we were supposed to protect are now the ones we should fear most of being murdered."

The human rights organization Human Rights Watch (HRW) recently warned that the police were now reacting with renewed violence to protesters who took to the streets against police violence.

On Wednesday, she called for the military to be withdrawn from the streets immediately and those responsible to be punished.

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