Armed men on Wednesday set headquarters of Vintage Press Limited, publishers of The Nation ablaze after a commando-like invasion.
A statement by the management signed by Editor, The Nation Mr Adeniyi Adesina, said the invaders “kicked their way into the premises after scaring away security men on duty, brandishing their sophisticated guns.
“They poured petrol on the frontage of the building and set fire to it.
“Some of the vehicles parked within the premises were set ablaze, others vandalised.”
It added: “Many boys came thereafter and swooped on the office, looting everything they could lay their hands on.
“These include desktop computers, laptops, air conditioners and other office equipment.
“At the time of the attack, Managing Director and Editor-in-Chief Mr. Victor Ifijeh, was among those trapped within the office while the fire raged on.
“They were evacuated when men of Operation Mesa security outfit arrived.
“Their arrival ended the free rein of the invaders.
“It was obviously a targeted attack on the free press.
“The Nation had been listed on Twitter and other social media platforms by sympathisers of the ongoing destructive activities, as a target of attack.
“The Nation has robustly reported the protests fairly, giving voice to the agitation of youths for a better Nigeria.
“The Management is at a loss as to why the company should be a target of such unwarranted attack.”
But for the intervention of a detachment of anti-riot policemen, the headquarters of Television Continental (TVC) in Ikosi Lagos would have been razed by a mob that stormed the station on Wednesday morning.
Rampaging youths have taken to arson, vandalism of public and private properties across the state in reaction to the shooting of peaceful protesters at the Lekki Toll Plaza by security forces.
At the time.of this report, more police stations across the state have been torched just as Bus Rapid Transport (BRT) terminals, Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA) head office in Marina, Igbosere Magistrates Court, Lekki Shopping Mall and many other important facilities have suffered attacks.
At the TVC, it was gathered the hoodlums who could not gain access into the building, set vehicles ablaze and were advancing in when policemen arrived the scene.
The policemen were said to have dispersed the mob, contained the inferno before evacuating occupants of the premises to safety.
It was also gathered hoodlums looted commercial banks in Lekki and carted away cash while cultists were alleged to have capitalised on the impasse to loot, kill people in Ikorodu.
Confirming the chaos, police spokesman, Olumuyiwa Adejobi said: “They are attacking and looting banks and people’s properties. Even taking away cars.
” They are hoodlums and they will be treated as such. Everybody is a target. Police stations and media houses not spared. Minimum force will be applied to curtail them.”
After two weeks of massive demonstrations against police brutality brought Nigeria’s financial hub, Lagos, to a virtual standstill, government security forces using live ammunition opened fire Tuesday on hundreds of protestors rallying against a government-mandated 24-hour curfew.
A protesters raises his fist and holds a placard during a demonstration to protest against police … [+] (PHOTO BY PIUS UTOMI EKPEI/AFP VIA GETTY IMAGES)
KEY FACTS
At least seven people were killed during the melee, according to a Guardianreport citing a popular African disc jockey, DJ Switch, who was live-streaming the demonstration on Instagram.
The protests began on October 7 with calls to disband an infamous police unit that had long been accused of extortion, torture and extra-juditial killings, the Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS).
SARS was dissolved on October 11, but quickly replaced by the Special Weapons and Tactics team, and demonstrations continued, only to be met with “excessive force” by government security forces, according to Amnesty International, including the use of tear gas, water cannons and live ammunition against protesters.
Almost 2,000 prison inmates escaped after crowds stormed two prisons Monday in Benin City in southern Nigeria, according the Associated Press.
On Tuesday, state officials deployed anti-riot forces to protect police and correctional facilities which some demonstrators had begun targeting, and announced a nationwide 24-hour curfew in response to the unrest.
At least 15 people have died during the demonstrations, according to Amnesty International.
KEY BACKGROUND
What began as mostly peaceful protests have turned increasingly violent in recent days. Groups of armed young men who are reportedly being paid to discredit the anti-police movement by powerful interests in Nigeria have allegedly been attacking the demonstrators, fueling the unrest, and provoking the government’s response. Tens of thousands of people have joined in the demonstrations across the country, but as they grow more violent, government security forces have responded in kind. The Nigerian Army said it was standing by in case “subversive elements and troublemakers” continue to cause problems for the police.
BIG NUMBER
21 Million. That’s how many people live in the state of Lagos, according to the Council on Foreign Relations, all of whom are supposed to adhere to the curfew. That’s more people than live in New York State.
CRUCIAL QUOTE
I have watched with shock how what began as a peaceful #EndSARS protest has degenerated into a monster that is threatening the well-being of our society. Lives and limbs have been lost as criminals and miscreants are now hiding under the umbrella of these protests to unleash mayhem on our state.” said Babajide Sanwo-Olu, Governor of Lagos.(forbes)
My youth! This is your chance. Where ever you are Stick to your gun. Maintain your mark. If you must talk Do, when it’s right.
My youth! This is your time. Whatever you dare Stick to your gun. Maintain your mark. If you must rise Let it be for the right. And, when you must act Do the right.
My youth! This is your life. Make it worth your while. Stick to your gun. Maintain your mark. If you must (s)hoot Let it be for the right. And, when you fall Be sure it’s for right.
Remember! Your wreath of honour Must blossom per hour In this our world, My fearless youth.
Below are the dying words of one of the #EndSARS protesters among the over 11 murdered Tuesday night by men of the Nigerian Armed forces at Lekki Toll Gate, Lagos.
One account had it that he was a student of Michael Okpara University, Umudike, Abia State. Another account said he had just finished his National Youth Service Corps and recently got a job in Lagos, where he had only lived for two months. We join millions of mourners and youths of Nigeria to condemn the war crimes, senseless murder that took place in Nigeria yesterday.
His last words will prick the souls of his murderers and world at large who stood by and watched the genocide in Nigeria.
His last words were:
Mama don’t worry I will be back in the morning. mama I am sorry I failed you, I couldn’t come back, but mama i didn’t mean to go. Mama those who should protect us shot at me, I waved the flag but it seemed like a gun in their sight. Mama you know all I wanted was a better life for us, for my unborn I’m sorry Mama that I couldn’t give you that They wasted us, Mama. As I journey, I still feel pains. I don’t know if you can handle this news. Look how they took your son. Heaven knows I tried to stay alive for you, Mama I tried. Be thou proud of me and pray heaven receives me and my friends. I had a future but I can’t see it anymore. Be strong, be proud of me as angels guide me home. Our blood still drips and it will speak, Mama. Don’t cry for me, Mama. Pray for Nigeria
The streets of Nigeria are coursing with the blood of innocents felled by guilty bullets of state agents. The Nigerian flag has turned scarlet from being a sponge soaking up the living fluid of harmless citizens who thought that the murderers would respect the symbol of the nation and spare their lives. The bodies of citizens are broken, littering the alleys. Young Nigerians who only ventured out with nothing but the flag, their fist and voice to protest against police brutality became victims of the violence they are campaigning against.
Who gave the order for the killing of at least seven citizens at Lekki and the maiming of other protesters whose only offence is to demand an end to police brutality? Who gave the order for the bloody assault on defenseless Nigerians who are only demanding good governance? Who gave the order for the cameras and lights at Lekki tollgate, where the protesters converged, to be removed ahead of the slaughter?
Babajide Sanwo-Olu, governor of Lagos, the centre of the executions, has denied culpability. According to him, forces beyond his ken dispatched the deadly violence in the state he presides over.
The governor said: ‘’This is the toughest night of our lives as forces beyond our direct control have moved to make dark notes in our history, but we will face it and come out stronger.’’
But is this not an admission of incompetence and a testament to abdication of responsibility? The primary responsibility of the state governor is to protect the lives and property of his citizens. Why did he not raise the alarm on the impending doom? Why did he surrender his state to ‘’forces beyond his direct control’’?
Well, inasmuch as, Sanwo-Olu’s complicity cannot be discounted, the order for the martyring of citizens at Lekki tollgate emanates from the highest recesses of government. The order sprouts from Aso Rock. It comes from the one who is the commander-in-chief of the armed forces. President Buhari gave the order! The army and the police are his to command alone; nobody not even a governor, disputes these powers with him.
Buhari gave the order!
Nigerians had railed against the president’s decision to post soldiers into the streets nationwide amid the EndSARS protests, but the president was adamant – insisting on deploying brute force against a civil action. The army’s ‘Operation Crocodile Smile’ kicked off on Tuesday – and just in its first day, there are already civilian causalities across the country.
Buhari’s hands have been made unclean by the blood of the innocents. The killing of citizens only exercising their inalienable rights is on him. He cannot wash himself off this tar even if he uses hyssop. History has taken note of this day, and the place of Buhari in it is already secured as the leader of one of the most brutal and incompetent regimes in Nigeria.
The Nigerian state under Buhari has been fashioned into a coliseum of oppression and repression. The Buhari regime only pales in comparison to the Abacha junta. Life has receded to becoming ‘’solitary, poor, nasty, brutish and short’’ in Buhari’s Nigeria. The regime has elevated violence above order, and evil divinations above ethics, principles and common sense.
The Buhari regime is one which deliberately creates anarchy to suppress dissent. It has metaphorically set up a ‘National Thug Corps’ (NTC) for the discharge of grimy state duties. The NTC is the quasi-security arm of the regime. They are always on reserve; ready to be deployed for mayhem. They escape accountability, identification, outrage and culpability. This is why they are deployed when police clampdowns will stir a storm. We have seen how they were deployed in Abuja and Lagos.
In Abuja, security agents were providing cover for hoodlums and bandits as they unleashed attacks on protesters and other citizens. Some of these bandits were freighted from neighbouring states to the nation’s capital. At least, five citizens have been killed by these state-sponsored vermin in the FCT. This is all because the president is skittish about citizens’ power; he is more concerned about securing his seat than the lives of Nigerians. Therefore, he deploys agents of death and anarchy to hack down dissenters and incite chaos so as to fasten his fascist grip on the state.
Really, if the president has any honour left in him; he must resign now and hand himself to the International Criminal Court (ICC) for prosecution over crimes against humanity.
Buhari must account for the killing of protesters in the FCT, Lagos, Kano, Jos, Edo, Ondo, and elsewhere in the country.
▪︎ He did not give impression he was out of the country
Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu did not give the impression he was out of the country when he spoke to some young persons who called him, his spokesman, Mr. Tunde Rahman insists.
In a response via WhatsApp to Everyday.ng, Mr. Rahman said, “He did not give any such impression in any way. He did not know the youths. Some of them called him.
“He picked their calls even as aggressive and angry they were in their conversations with him. Asiwaju told them to be wary of violent protests. That they should protest as it is their right but be peaceful.
“He informed them he does not own Lekki Concession Company and lacked the power to deploy soldiers. As such he could not have ordered soldiers to kill anyone.https://googleads.g.doubleclick.net/pagead/ads?client=ca-pub-1103034130049335&output=html&h=280&adk=404415988&adf=1374904074&pi=t.aa~a.3212008142~i.13~rp.1&w=720&fwrn=4&fwrnh=100&lmt=1603344174&num_ads=1&rafmt=1&armr=3&sem=mc&pwprc=5679722703&psa=1&guci=2.2.0.0.2.2.0.0&ad_type=text_image&format=720×280&url=https%3A%2F%2Feveryday.ng%2Ffirst-they-said-i-planned-protests-now-they-say-i-am-killing-protesters-which-is-which-tinubu-asks-as-report-indicts-governors%2F&flash=0&fwr=0&pra=3&rh=180&rw=720&rpe=1&resp_fmts=3&wgl=1&fa=27&adsid=ChEI8Li__AUQkLuPqLLB55raARJMAE_f8qRhiQnwXa8Qm85MtiCJ2CIDoXNCPU26C3_sUBlyRbrSr2dgNMsVhCwRjfmh3nOeuM_F85ydpIcd1OCaQo2lHs9MsXIGlyvCVg&tt_state=W3siaXNzdWVyT3JpZ2luIjoiaHR0cHM6Ly9hZHNlcnZpY2UuZ29vZ2xlLmNvbSIsInN0YXRlIjowfV0.&dt=1603344169584&bpp=13&bdt=4912&idt=14&shv=r20201019&cbv=r20190131&ptt=9&saldr=aa&abxe=1&cookie=ID%3De8d9fd989137e735-227c644f4ca600b3%3AT%3D1602951378%3ART%3D1602951378%3AS%3DALNI_MYqTaWv3YXdXw_pNoEhIiNmwSBKwA&prev_fmts=0x0%2C468x60%2C468x60&nras=2&correlator=6685422477811&frm=20&pv=1&ga_vid=1879276788.1594360372&ga_sid=1603344167&ga_hid=1408838788&ga_fc=0&iag=0&icsg=615720786329599&dssz=46&mdo=0&mso=0&u_tz=60&u_his=1&u_java=0&u_h=1280&u_w=800&u_ah=1280&u_aw=800&u_cd=24&u_nplug=0&u_nmime=0&adx=40&ady=1166&biw=800&bih=1160&scr_x=0&scr_y=0&eid=44729242%2C21066819%2C21066973&oid=3&pvsid=3863644299671779&pem=645&rx=0&eae=0&fc=1408&brdim=0%2C0%2C0%2C0%2C800%2C0%2C800%2C1160%2C800%2C1160&vis=1&rsz=%7C%7Cs%7C&abl=NS&fu=8320&bc=31&jar=2020-10-22-05&ifi=5&uci=a!5&btvi=2&fsb=1&xpc=g5vPyL1w18&p=https%3A//everyday.ng&dtd=5328
“The initial narrative was he was the one sponsoring protest, now it’s he is the one killing protesters. What a contradiction in terms? This period will surely pass over!”https://googleads.g.doubleclick.net/pagead/ads?client=ca-pub-1103034130049335&output=html&h=60&slotname=9114618322&adk=1742951136&adf=2589558187&pi=t.ma~as.9114618322&w=468&lmt=1603344174&rafmt=12&psa=1&guci=2.2.0.0.2.2.0.0&format=468×60&url=https%3A%2F%2Feveryday.ng%2Ffirst-they-said-i-planned-protests-now-they-say-i-am-killing-protesters-which-is-which-tinubu-asks-as-report-indicts-governors%2F&flash=0&wgl=1&adsid=ChEI8Li__AUQkLuPqLLB55raARJMAE_f8qRhiQnwXa8Qm85MtiCJ2CIDoXNCPU26C3_sUBlyRbrSr2dgNMsVhCwRjfmh3nOeuM_F85ydpIcd1OCaQo2lHs9MsXIGlyvCVg&tt_state=W3siaXNzdWVyT3JpZ2luIjoiaHR0cHM6Ly9hZHNlcnZpY2UuZ29vZ2xlLmNvbSIsInN0YXRlIjowfV0.&dt=1603344166474&bpp=5&bdt=1802&idt=1681&shv=r20201019&cbv=r20190131&ptt=9&saldr=aa&abxe=1&cookie=ID%3De8d9fd989137e735-227c644f4ca600b3%3AT%3D1602951378%3ART%3D1602951378%3AS%3DALNI_MYqTaWv3YXdXw_pNoEhIiNmwSBKwA&prev_fmts=0x0%2C468x60&nras=1&correlator=6685422477811&frm=20&pv=1&ga_vid=1879276788.1594360372&ga_sid=1603344167&ga_hid=1408838788&ga_fc=0&iag=0&icsg=615720786329599&dssz=46&mdo=0&mso=0&u_tz=60&u_his=1&u_java=0&u_h=1280&u_w=800&u_ah=1280&u_aw=800&u_cd=24&u_nplug=0&u_nmime=0&adx=166&ady=1570&biw=800&bih=1160&scr_x=0&scr_y=0&eid=44729242%2C21066819%2C21066973&oid=3&pvsid=3863644299671779&pem=645&rx=0&eae=0&fc=1920&brdim=0%2C0%2C0%2C0%2C800%2C0%2C800%2C1160%2C800%2C1160&vis=1&rsz=%7C%7CeEbr%7C&abl=CS&pfx=0&fu=8448&bc=31&jar=2020-10-22-05&ifi=2&uci=a!2&btvi=1&fsb=1&xpc=VHzErgyv6F&p=https%3A//everyday.ng&dtd=8373
Everyday.ng reports that when one of the young men who identified himself as Orę Seyi (meaning Seyi’s friend) who spoke to him over the shooting at the Lekki Toll Gate, where Tinubu is alleged to have substantial interest, asked, “They said you have even gone out of the country, that you are in France now
Tinubu: Um… well…
Orę Seyi: How true is that, sir?
Tinubu: It is almost true.
But the former Lagos Governor, between 1999 and 2007, denied he sent soldiers to go and shoot down protesters at the Lekki Toll Gate, adding, ” No, not me, I can never order the Army now…please, I am not in a position to order Army now
Pressed further he denied ownership of the Toll gate, even as one of his callers insisted that he knows how much he makes at the Toll gate. The caller reminded Tinubu that he had children and it was not good for him to be involved.
Earlier, Tunubu said he was in the process of investigating the shooting at the lucrative toll gate on Tuesday night.
Recall that in the heat of the#EndSARS protests, the Miyetti Allah Kautal Hore, a Fulani socio-cultural group, accused Tinubu, among others of initiating the protests to disgrace President Muhammadu Buhari, a Fulani, out of power, as a prelude to pursuing a 2023 presidential ambition.
He has since waved the accusation aside, but a report by an Abuja-based newsmagazine, Forefront, offers interesting perspectives based on a security report it says it gleaned.
Its report reads in full: “Following the unabated protests by the #ENDSARS protesters, a security report may have implicated a coalition of some State governors across party lines as being behind the scene promoters and sponsors of the raging youths uprising.
The development is believed to have jolted the Presidency into an overdrive thus adopting extra ordinary measures to quell the escalating mass action before it turns to an uncontrollable situation.
This may not be unconnected with the directive by the Inspector General of Police (IGP) deploying anti-riot police squad to decisively crush the protests in some flashpoints such as Lagos, Edo, Osun States and the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja from Wednesday.
It was gathered that as a means of justifying what the security report described as “adequate force,” the report which was believed to have been submitted to President Muhammadu Buhari on Saturday night, recommended the discrediting of the uprising by using undercover security agents and thugs to introduce mayhem and extreme violence into what has been peaceful movement.
A security source confided in Forefront saying; “It is reasoned that once the protest has been subverted by the government agents, the crusade would lose sympathy and support among Nigerians and even the international community would be expected to understand why it is necessary to use optimum force to quell the revolt.”
It was further gathered that the report also recommended that pro-government groups should be mobilised in numbers that will effectively overwhelm the multitude of demonstrators particularly in the Federal Capital, Abuja with the support and protection of security agents in order to discourage and evict the #ENDSARS protesters from the streets.
This was as it was gathered that one of the governors from North Central State, whose election was bedeviled with a lot of violence is said to be coordinating the renting of political thugs mainly from states with proximity to the FCT as he was believed not to be part of the conspiracy.
The measures followed the security report implicating some leading lights among the governors of the APC said to be working in cahoots with some PDP governors.
The report according to sources close to Aso Rock indicated that some governors of the ruling APC, who are convinced President Buhari has been taken hostage by certain forces in his informal caucus have been mobilising their colleague to form a common front in ensuring whoever succeeds the President does not come from outside the rank of the present state governors.
The report it was further gathered, noted that a particular Northern governor on the platform of the APC allegedly told some of his colleagues that he commissioned a consortium of consultants who recommended that President Buhari needed to be sufficiently embattled and weakened in his final tenure to prevent him from exercising any considerable influence in determining his possible successor. The arrowed head governor who is said to have traveled abroad at the moment with a former activist from his state, who is now a serving Senator, also allegedly told his colleagues that a survey by the consultants revealed that about 93% of youths with secondary school education and above are disillusioned and bitter with the administration and the ruling party thus could become handy as easy recruits for a peaceful uprising that could disparage the Buhari administration much like the George Floyd Protests in the US which reverberated across world.
The commissioned survey it was allegedly discovered that just like in US where the minorities have much animus towards the police for their profiling and institutional racism, Nigerian youths equally detest the special branches of the police which could be used as a rallying cry to mobilise them to action.
“That is how the #ENDSARS crusade was conceived. Internet and IT experts were believed to have been recruited abroad and asked to be on standby with a view to engage in mass online mobilisation once the protests is launched.
“Simultaneously, videos of police atrocities from across Nigeria some of them as old as 10years began to flood the internet on Twitter, YouTube, Facebook and Instagram among others.
It was gathered that the plan was to ignite the feeling of anger among several young people most of whom must have encountered crooked and rogue police men. This feeling of anger was believed to be sufficient to prepare the minds of the youths to support the uprising,” it was gathered.
Further checks indicated that agents were also recruited to mobilise Nigerians in diaspora in different countries to give an international flavour to the revolt and to cover their traces, the governors relying on the advice by the consultants discouraged the organisers from selecting identifiable leaders for the protests.
Besides it was also gathered that the absence of clear leaders could also served as a good excuse to frame some ambitious top politicians outside their ranks as the sponsors of the protests. However this aspect was said to have been unsuccessful following the fatal error of mobilising the protesters to cripple business at the Lekki Toll Gate believed to be a major business interest of their targeted fall guy.
Curiously, the attitude of most of the governors who either openly sympathised with the demonstrators or looked the other way was said to have alerted the intelligence agencies who felt any major player at any level of government ought to be worried that the uprising was a clear danger to the nation’s democracy.
It is learnt that diligent probing by the intelligence agencies was rewarded when one of the APC governors in the North Central betrayed the plan and said although he wasn’t deep into it, he believed that the ring leaders are four APC governors made up of two from the north and south respectively.
The governor was said to have claimed that the clique determined to prevent President Buhari from falling prey to the antics of his informal power caucus had gained a lot of pull with the governors who believe that any successor of President Buhari not endorsed by them could start hounding them after their tenures like President Jonathan did to former Governor James Ibori and some other ex-governors when he gets to power.
The report also indicated that the alliance clearly showed that the governors from both parties supporting Godwin Obaseki of Edo State to victory with Governor Kayode Fayemi of Ekiti State openly admitting that there is an unwritten code among the governors to support their own even against their own party. Same reason it was believed why the PDP Governors abandoned their candidate in Ondo last week.
The Buhari-led administration is believed to have resolved to crush the uprising with heavy hand beginning from Wednesday when the protest may have been adequately discredited with the spate of orchestrates violence.
Has the strongman of South-West politics and chieftain of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, fled Nigeria in the wake of the killing of peaceful protesters at the Lekki Toll gate in Lagos?
No one knows for sure. In a telephone conversation with some youths who reached out to him to confirm if it was true he had left for France, Tinubu said the Information is “almost true”.
Tinubu
But he denied having a hand in the shooting carried out by soldiers on the youths, even as the photograph of an army colonel surfaced on Twitter as the one who gave the command that civilians be shot. At least 17 are said to have died in the shooting.
Lagos Governor, Mr. Babajide Sanwo-Ole exonerated his government in the Lekki shooting, saying no fatality was recorded.
In a broadcast, he said: “”For clarity, it is imperative to explain that no sitting governor controls the rules of engagement of the military. I have, nonetheless, ordered an investigation into the rules of engagement adopted by men of the Nigerian Army that were deployed to the Lekki toll gate last night.
“This is with a view to take this up with higher commands of the Nigerian Army and to seek the intervention of Mr President in his capacity to as the Commander-In-Chief to unravel the sequence of events that happened yesterday (Tuesday) night.
“Fellow Lagosians, whilst we pray for the swift recovery of the injured, we have not recorded any fatality as against the widespread circulation on social media.”
“Myself and the leadership of the ministry of health have been going round. Indeed, we went round the hospitals last night. We went round mortuaries last night to see and to monitor for ourselves what has happened and to look and identified the injured protesters.
“We personally visited the hospitals that took in these patients. 10 patients at the General Hospital in Lagos, 11 patients were at the two locations of the Reddington Hospitals both in Lekki and Victoria Island.”
Raging debate over who should be held responsible for the shooting continued on Twitter as one commentator declared: “No, he did not GIVE the order. He CARRIED OUT the order The PRESIDENT GAVE the order! The President is fully RESPONSIBLE”.
But the Army has said the men who shot and killed protesters are not its men, confusing watchers after speculations emerged on social media that the men were hired and kitted in military uniforms to carry out the dirty job.
The Army described on Twitter as “Fake News” the report fingering its men in the shooting.
Tinubu also made strenuous effort, in another telephone call by two young ladies, to deny he had interests in the Lekki Toll Gate investment.
The callers seemed to suggest that he allegedly facilitated the shooting to protect his investment at the toll gate. In both calls by a young man who identified himself as “orę Seyi” (Seyi’s friend), and the two ladies, Tinubu was badgered and was often interrupted by the callers as he tried to explain his position.
Earlier today, a post appeared on social media on plans by Tinubu to allegedly flee the country, and calling for him to be stopped.
It reads: “BREAKING: Bola Ahmed Tinubu readies private jet – a Bombardier Express 7000 with registration number VP-CBT to jet out of Lagos international Airport 10/21/2020 at 8:20am to Stansted UK after reports of his role in the Lekki massacre became public.
“Nigerians should block him and his family, and not allow them escape.
“Share on ALL Social Media Platforms”
Tinubu’s spokesman, Mr. Tunde Rahman, did not pick calls to his number when contacted.
A report by The Punch said 49 persons were killed as #EndSARS protests turned bloody
The report reads:
The violence that rocked the #EndSARS protests across the country worsened on Tuesday with 43 protesters and six policemen losing their lives, The PUNCH is reporting.
Protesters calling for the disbanding of the Special Anti-Robbery Squad of the Nigeria Police have been carrying out peaceful demonstrations across the country since October 8.
However, the protests assumed a violent dimension last week when thugs attacked peaceful protesters in Lagos and Abuja.
The hoodlums, who have been attacking protesters in Abuja, became emboldened on Tuesday when they killed six protesters at Waru, Wumba and Kubuwa
27 protesters, two policeman killed in Lagos
In Lagos alone, no fewer than 29 people, including two policemen, were killed when the police shot protesters in different parts of the state.
In Mushin, 17 people lost their lives during a clash involving hoodlums and policemen attached to the Olosan Division.
The PUNCH gathered that the hoodlums, who reportedly barricaded the Oduwoye Junction in Mushin, denied the Divisional Police Officer, Olosan Division and some policemen access to the route to a destination in the area.
In the process, it was learnt that there was a confrontation between the hoodlums and the policemen who reportedly retreated to their base.
However, tragedy struck when the policemen, reportedly led by the DPO, reinforced to the Oduwoye Junction and started releasing bullets into the air to scare away the hoodlums.
An eyewitness, who gave his name simply as Ashimiu, said when the hoodlums refused to leave the road, in a bid to disperse them, the policemen allegedly released some bullets into the crowd, adding that no fewer than 17 people had been reported dead.
He said: “People were at Oduwoye Junction in Mushin around 12.30pm and blocked the road but when the DPO of the Olosan Police Station and his team wanted to drive through the blocked route, they were denied access.
“This, however, led to confrontation, so they went back to their base.
“A few minutes after, the policemen, led by the DPO, reinforced to the blocked location and started shooting in the air to scare them away from the road.
“But when they realised that the people were unmoved, they released bullets into the crowd and more than 17 people were killed.
“Many people also sustained grievous bullet wounds, some of whom were rushed to the Lagos University Teaching Hospital.
“I have personally seen seven corpses: three corpses at Atewolara Junction, two corpses at Way Street, opposite Oando Filing Station, and two corpses at Oduwoye Junction, opposite the market.
“Soldiers are in the area to douse the tension and some of the corpses were evacuated by them, while some other corpses were taken away by the families of the victims.”
The PUNCH gathered that the protesters were chanting #EndSARS at the station when the DPO, Orile Division and her policemen allegedly opened fire at the protesters, killing three persons in the process.
Enraged by the development, it was learnt that a clash occurred between the protesters, including hoodlums, and policemen attached to the division and during the attack, the Orile Police Station was set ablaze.
One Bolaji, who witnessed the incident, accused the police of pulling the trigger that killed three of the protesters, adding that two stations were burnt due to the incident.
He said: “Around 9am, when the protesters got to the Orile Police Station, they were chanting #EndSARS and that they don’t want the Divisional Police Officer, popularly known as Iya Rainbow, to head the station again.
“There was a confrontation between the DPO and the people at the station.
“Annoyed by the development, the people clashed with the policemen and they went to get petrol and set the station ablaze.
“When the people at Pako area got to know that someone has been shot dead at Orile, it propelled them to burn the station at Pako.
“The military personnel have brought normalcy in the area.
“I witnessed everything when the police opened fire, the people dispersed and it was that opportunity that the DPO used in escaping.”
It was learnt that while three protesters were shot head by the police, two policemen died in a reprisal.
However, one Ugo Njoku, who chronicled the Orile attack on WhatsApp, gave the total number of deaths recorded to be five, adding: “DPO ordered police officers to shoot directly at the protesters.
“Three people fall dead while several others sustained injuries and are rushed to hospital…
“The two officers killed are the trigger-happy policemen that shot at the protesters.”
Blackout in Lekki tollgate as soldiers shoot seven protesters dead, many injured
In another development in the Lekki area of the state, armed soldiers allegedly shot sporadically at the #EndSARS protesters, killing no fewer 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 was also disconnected.
A video recorded by an eyewitness, which was reposted on Instablog9ja, indicated that seven protesters were killed during the attack.
“They have killed more than seven people that I have seen with my eyes. They were killed with real bullets and not even rubber bullets,” the recorder of the footage said.
Prior to the blackout, it was learnt that two soldiers were at the tollgate from the Lekki axis to pledge their support for the protest by the #EndSARS campaigners.
Few minutes after the soldiers came, it was learnt that there was a sudden blackout as a group of armed soldiers advancing from the Ozumba Mbadiwe axis started shooting sporadically into the air and at the protesters.
An eyewitness, Yekini Adedeji, said all the protesters around the tollgate scampered for safety, adding that the soldiers had taken over the premises.
Adedeji said: “The soldiers are shooting sporadically, they put off the street light and the billboard to make the place to be in total darkness.
“They started shooting up but they shot at the protesters as well and I have seen two people that have sustained bullet wounds.
“At first, when the soldiers started shooting, the protesters summoned courage and refused to move.
“So, they sat on the floor and raised up their flag, but along the line, two of the protesters were shot and people started running.
“There are no protesters at the tollgate and the soldiers have taken over the tollgate. I saw the soldiers myself.”
Two killed, many injured as hoodlums clash in Ketu
In another development, two people were killed during a clash involving Ikosi Boys and Market Boys in the Ketu area of Lagos State on Monday.
As at 8am on Tuesday, The PUNCH saw the hoodlums attacking one another with bottles, stones and other harmful objects around the pedestrian bridge, close to the police station in Ketu.
Motorists and commuters were stranded as vehicular movements were on hold due to the crisis that reportedly started on Monday evening.
It was gathered that the boys were protesting when an altercation reportedly broke out amongst them around 6pm.
The altercation was said to have degenerated into a crisis that sent shivers down the spines of residents and business owners in the area.
Footage of a video trending online showed three victims lying on the street in a pool of their blood.
As seen in the footage, the skull of two of the victims had been broken as their brains were scattered on the street.
One of the victims was also seen gasping for breath due to the injuries he sustained during the clash.
People were also seen in the footage lamenting and mourning the circumstances surrounding the death of the victims.
When contacted, the state Police Public Relations Officer, Muyiwa Adejobi, said: “A fight happened in Ketu but we are not aware that there was any mortality.
“No death was known to the police.”
Six killed, many injured as hoodlums clash Ikorodu
In another development, no fewer than six persons were killed in the Ogolonto and Garage area of Ikorodu, Lagos.
In Ogolonto, it was learnt that the clash happened after a member of the National Union of Road Transport Workers purchased a piece of land and “settled” the wrong people.
An eyewitness, who identified himself simply as Adesegun, said during the fight, the boys burgled peoples’ shops, stopped a truck loaded with bottles, which they used in attacking themselves.
He said: “Ogolonto Boys and Idiroko were involved in the clash, and what happened that was that one of the leaders of the NURTW, Ikorodu settled some people with N2 million after purchasing land and made the announcement during the protest.
“That was when the fight started and about three people were killed on Saturday, but the fight started on Friday.
“The fight was amongst the union members, but it turned into a street fight and lots of people were injured.”
It was gathered that three people died in the incident.
In a similar development, three persons were killed during another clash involving hoodlums and cultists in the Garage and Benson areas of Ikorodu.
An eyewitness, Biodun Agbabiaka, said: “On Tuesday, some people had to volunteer themselves to be on the lookout for people robbing members of the public of their valuables after the protest and that was how it turned into a territorial clash, involving cult members.
“As I speak to you, two persons were killed at Garage and one person was killed at Benson and the protesters are not among those that were killed.”
Many policemen have been killed – Lagos Police PRO
Adejobi said: “It is quite unfortunate that most of our formations have been attacked, our men have been attacked and as I speak with you, many of our men have been killed, but I cannot give a precise account of those that have been killed now.
“Most of our formations have been set ablaze and some of our properties destroyed.
“Two patrol vehicles have been burnt in Ojo Division, Ilemba Hausa is under siege as I speak with you, Amukoko and Orile Divisions are burnt, Cele Outpost under Ajegunle has been burnt, Ajeromi Ifelodun Secretariat has been burnt and we are still hearing that they still want to attack policemen going about their lawful duties.”
Two policemen, three others feared killed in Oyo
Hoodlums cashed in on the #EndsSARS protest in the Ojoo area of Ibadan on Tuesday and burnt down the police station in the area.
Our correspondents learnt that five persons, including two policemen, were killed during the attack, which happened at 1pm.
The police also confirmed that some of its AK-47 rifles were stolen by the hoodlums, who invaded the place and burnt it down.
One of our correspondents, who visited the scene of the incident at 6:30pm observed that the police station and three vehicles were completely razed down.
Trouble started in the morning as early as 9am when some of the youths blocked the Ojoo end of the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway.
The barricade caused gridlock, forcing some motorists to turn back to seek alternative routes, while those who could not use this got stuck on the road.
The Commissioner of Police in Oyo State, Joe Enwonwu, confirmed the killing of two policemen and said two were missing in a statement issued by the Police Public Relations Officer, Olugbenga Fadeyi.
Hoodlums kill Ogun customs officer 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 Ogun State.
The PUNCH gathered that residents of the border communities seized the opportunity of the ongoing protest to demand an end to the incessant killings by operatives of the NSC.
An eyewitness said the youth invaded the patrol base and attacked the NCS officers with sticks and dangerous weapons, killing one and injuring another.
The Public Relations Officer of the Command, Hammed Oloyede, confirmed the incident in an interview with one of our correspondents.
Hoodlums kill four in Kano
In Sabon Gari area of the Kano metropolis, eyewitnesses said four people were killed when hoodlums attacked #EndSARS protesters.
A security guard at one of the motor spare parts shops at France Road in Sabon Gari told The PUNCH that the protest, which started peacefully at noon, turned violent when some hoodlums attacked the protesters.
The security guard said: “The protest was initially peaceful, but when the hoodlums came they killed four people and injured many others.”
It was also gathered that the hoodlums looted shops and burnt a car on the Aba Road off Ibo Road in Sabon Gari.
Also, the hoodlums invaded St Thomas’ Catholic Church, on Airport Road, ransacked and broke the glass windows.
The police said they were not aware of any killing.
At a press conference later on Tuesday, the state Police Commissioner, Habu Sani, confirmed that no fewer than seven vehicles were burnt.
Sani, however, said the situation had since been brought under control.
Two killed in Benin
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.
Despite the curfew, youths took over strategic positions on the Ekenwan Road chanting anti-government slogans.
There were protests also in Auchi as youths regrouped at the popular Jattu Junction, allowing only motorists on essential duties passage.
Hoodlums killed two police officers in Abia – PPRO
As of the time of sending this report, the situation in Aba, the Abia State capital, was still tense.
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.
When contacted, the state Police Public Relations Officer, Geoffrey Ogbonna, said at Aba, two police officers were killed on Tuesday.
Ogbonna said he was not aware of the killing of any protester.
The protests in Port Harcourt, the Rivers State capital, became violent when policemen at SARS protest office shot live bullets, while youths were protesting.
Hundreds of youths, who had taken the protest to the disbanded SARS office, expressed dismay that police operatives were still there despite the disbandment of the outfit.
Although, the youth retreated due to the indiscriminate shooting to scare them, they continued chorusing: “End SARS, END SARS,” until they were advised by their leaders to leave the area.
When contacted, the State Commissioner of Police, Joseph Mukan, said the office was not operational, but that policemen were only deployed there to protect the facility from being attacked following what was going on in other parts of the country.
Armed thugs in ‘government vehicles’ attack #EndSARS protesters
In Abuja, armed thugs conveyed in what appeared to be black government Sports Utility Vehicles with concealed number plates were seen attacking #EndSARS protesters in the Wuse 2 area of Abuja on Tuesday.
In a video that has gone viral on social media, some of the thugs are seen jumping into a black Prado driven by a man in suit on Adetokunbo Ademola Crescent, Wuse 2.
The vehicle was seen reversing unto Hospital Avenue and then the doors are flung open, while thugs wielding stones and sticks run riot.
Another vehicle, which is a black Range Rover, soon joined the thugs, while four buses filled with thugs parked on the roadside saw more thugs alight from them.
There were unconfirmed reports that the thugs were coordinated by an official of the Department of State Services attached to a top government official.
However, the DSS in a statement by its Spokesman, Peter Afunaya, denied the allegation, adding that the agency could not identify any of the persons in the videos.
Afunaya asked members of the public to ignore such rumours as the agency could not engage in such a dishonourable act.
The founder, Afe Babalola University, Ado Ekiti (ABUAD), Chief Afe Babalola, SAN, has called on President Muhammadu Buhari to halt the crackdown on protesters, which has lead to the death of innocent Nigerians.
Babalola who condemned the onslaught against the protesters, said all the steps being taken at present were not the solution, urging Buhari to address youths protesting for an end to police brutality.
The legal luminary made the plea in a statement in Ado Ekiti, entitled, ‘Call on President Buhari to address pains of the nation’.
He said, “The deployment of soldiers to the streets is not the answer. The imposition of curfews is certainly not the answer. The use of live bullets and other lethal weapons against protesting youths is not the answer. The killing of protesting youths is also not the answer.
“A protest both in fact and in law is analogous to a message which an injured toe sends to the brain complaining about unbearable pain. The response by the brain and the head is normally to take steps to treat the pain to the toe. Any injured person who refuses to take steps to treat pains to any part of the body does so at his own peril.
“The President is the head of the Nation, the youths are parts of the body (Nation). I urge the President as the head to address the youths (the Nation) and offer remedial steps to be taken to alleviate the pains.
“I remember that as soon as the protests began, I had issued a press release in a similar vein on the issue appealing to the President to please address the issue at that time. I now again plead with him to address the root causes of the pain which the youths are complaining about”.
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![VIDEO] #LekkiMassacre: Hoodlums Loot Lagos State High Court, Cart Away Valuables](https://lawandsocietymagazine.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/lagos-court.jpg "VIDEO] #LekkiMassacre: Hoodlums Loot Lagos State High Court, Cart Away Valuables")
