As the unrest and protests over the shootings by soldiers in the biggest city of Nigeria continues, there are now numerous reports of jailbreaks and gunfire. On Tuesday, the global rights group Amnesty International said that soldiers have shot dead at least 12 people.

But Nigeria’s army has categorically denied the allegations leveled by organizations and several international media outlets. The protests in Nigeria began nearly two weeks ago, with mostly young students taking to the streets and calling the government to disband a police unit, the Special Anti-Robbery Squad (Sars).

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Meanwhile, the reports of a shooting have prompted global condemnations. On Thursday, Muhammadu Buhari, the incumbent President of the country, asked the protesters to stop protesting and offered them to engage in direct talks with the government. However, Buhari made no mention of the unfortunate shootings in Lagos.

Earlier, the vice-president of Nigeria also vowed to provide justice to the victims of Tuesday’s shooting during the protest in Lagos. Since the shooting, the capital and several other nearby areas have seen a building being torched, prisons attacked, and businesses looted.

In a bid to curb the unrest and chaos in the country’s capital, the local authorities have also imposed an indefinite 24-hours curfew. Furthermore, many other states, including Anambra, took similar steps on Thursday.

Earlier in 2020, Amnesty international highlighted that it had documented as many as 82 cases of illegal detention and extra-judicial executions in the last two years. Though President Buhari ordered to disband the Sars, the protests have continued with demonstrators calling for a wide range of reforms in the governance system.

On Thursday, after the army and police foiled an attempted prison break in Lagos, numerous gunshots were heard at the Ikoyi prison. However, local media reports suggest that some prisoners have escaped following an attempt on Delta and Ondo.

Some videos on social media also showed a shopping mall nearly a mile from the toll plaza, where Tuesday’s shooting happened and was set ablaze. Not only that, but the High Court on Lagos Island was also set on fire on Wednesday. The residents of the area told the news agencies that the looters had taken away the goods confiscated by the court.

A local TV channel with links to the governing party was set ablaze while the house of a prominent political leader was also ransacked. During his speech on Thursday, President called on the protesters to resist the temptation of being used by hijackers to create unrest.

Yemi Osinbajo, the vice-president, also extended his heartfelt condolences to the victims of the shootings. However, he did not say that soldiers opened fire on the protesters, perhaps because the authorities have already promised an inquiry into the incident.

There has also been international pressure on the Nigerian government to end the violence and bring the culprits to account. The African Union also urged the government and protesters to end the unrest and respect the rule of law and human rights. Other international players, including the US, the UK, the UN, and the EU, have all called for immediate action and investigation.

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