Security operatives from the State Security Service and the Nigerian Police Force on Saturday opened fire on journalists and protesters at the Moshood Abiola Stadium in Abuja, the third day of the hunger protest currently happening in Nigeria.
Before shooting the journalist and protesters, the heavily armed security agent at the entrance of the stadium fired tear gas at the protesters. In contrast, the security personnel arrested a large number of them.
The shooting spree, which started at about noon, was started by a masked official of the state security service who moved toward journalists covering the demonstration and opened fire with visible gunshots on the vehicle conveying them.
For now, there is no report of any death from the shooting by the security agencies, but the action provoked their counterparts in Lagos state, which led to the blocking of the Ojota Expressway it required several pleas from the security agencies for them to return to the service lane where the protester stood all through their days of action.
On Saturday, a leading human rights organization, Amnesty International, alleged that the security agencies in Abuja, the nation’s capital the organization further condemned the use of force by the security agencies on protesters, explaining that the action is condemnable.
In a response to the figures from Amnesty International, the Force Public Relations Officer, in a statement on Saturday, denied the figures of death stipulated by the police. He explained that the figures put forward by the organization are far from the truth, noting that the police have only recorded seven deaths since the protest began. He explained that none of the deaths were from the actions of the police force.
The PPRO explained that the police had arrested 681 individuals concerning the protest; he explained the individuals had disguised themselves as protesters while their main motives were armed robbery and looting of public and private properties; he further explained the individuals were found with dangerous weapons, according to him two AK47 were recovered from the protesters.
In providing more details about the police, they noted that nine of its men had sustained various degrees of injuries during the demonstration that lasted two days.
