Bloodshed from hasty curfew in Lagos

The Nigerian Army on Tuesday commenced hasty killing of protesters at the Lekki toll gate following the proclamation of 24 hours curfew by Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu of Lagos State at about 4.00pm. The security operatives perhaps concluded that the curfew was with immediate effect and went into sudden enforcement.

The security operatives had arrived the Lekki toll gate at about 7.00pm, shooting sporadically to disperse the crowd. An unspecified number of persons were killed in the operation while several others sustained injuries from gunshots.

At the time of imposing the curfew on Tuesday afternoon, Governor Sanwo-Olu did not specify time of commencement or enforcement but out of provocation of hoodlums burning police station in some parts of the state issued the 24-hur curfew order.

The Lagos State government in a tweet at 7.08 pm begun to give details of the curfew indicating that the curfew would not start until 9.00pm, to allow citizens held in traffic to reach their homes.

Before the military onslaught, the CCTV cameras installed by the Lagos state government at the Lekki toll gate were dismantled, the light was put out when suddenly the military arrived and started shoot. Bullets were extracted from some of the injured protestants while the unlucky ones died.

The youths, however, remained at the venue after the shooting was suspended.