UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Wednesday called for an end to reported police brutality in Nigeria and asked for de-escalation, said his spokesman.
“The secretary-general is following recent developments in Nigeria and calls for an end to reported police brutality and abuses,” said Stephane Dujarric, the spokesman, in a statement.
Guterres condemned the violent escalation on Tuesday in Lagos which resulted in multiple deaths and caused many injuries.
He expressed his condolences to the bereaved families and wished a speedy recovery to those injured.
He called on the Nigerian authorities to investigate these incidents and hold the perpetrators accountable, said the statement.
Guterres urged the security forces of Nigeria to act at all times with maximum restraint while calling on protestors to demonstrate peacefully and to refrain from violence, it said.
The secretary-general encouraged the authorities to swiftly explore avenues to de-escalate the situation. He reiterated the readiness of the United Nations to support national efforts toward finding a solution, said the statement.
Violence escalated in Nigeria in the past few days amid clashes between anti-police brutality protestors and security forces. The state of Lagos, Nigeria’s economic hub, imposed a 24-hour curfew on Tuesday.
Babajide Sanwo-Olu, the governor of Lagos, on Wednesday, called for calm following the shooting on protesters by men in military uniforms on Tuesday evening at the Lekki Toll Gate complex.
In a live broadcast to give updates on the shooting protesters demonstrating against brutality by a police unit dedicated to combatting robberies, the governor announced the suspension of all state activities for three days in solidarity with the ongoing protests and agitations across the state.
He said the flag at all government facilities will be flown at half-mast in the next three days.
The governor said he went out all night with members of his team and they visited hospitals, mortuaries to get first-hand information on casualties.
According to him, a total of 28 protesters suffered gunshot wounds Tuesday evening and one of the injured died later at a private hospital.
He said the shooting was carried out by “forces beyond our direct control,” and appealed for calm among the protesters.
The Lagos state government declared a 24-hour curfew on Tuesday from 4 p.m. local time and later shifted to 9 p.m. to enable those stuck in traffic to get to their destinations in good time.
Tensions have been running high in Abuja, the Nigerian capital, and Lagos since Tuesday when suspected hoodlums reportedly took control of peaceful protests by citizens calling for extensive police reform. Violence has also been reported in some other cities across the country.
