LONDON, KOMPAS.com – About 500 demonstrators took to the streets of London, English, on Saturday (10/24/2020) to support protests of young people in Nigeria.
President Nigeria Muhammadu Buhari has been the focus of anger at his handling of anti-police demonstrations, against the Anti-Robbery Special Forces or SARS.
The protesters dressed in black are mostly part of the Nigerian diaspora in Britain.
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News agency AFP reported, they carried signs reading “End SARS, end police brutality” and chanted “Buhari is a dead man” as they stepped through the streets of the capital city of “Queen Elizabeth’s Country”.
Meanwhile other protesters waved Nigerian flags, with some people splashed with red paint to make them appear covered in blood.
A number of demonstrators wore green and white masks, and shouted through loudspeakers as they gave speeches landmark London, including Parliament Square and offices BBC.
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They walked together to the home of Bola Tinubu in London, the former governor of Lagos state and founder of Buhari’s All Progressive Congress (APC) party. Tinubu is said to have left Nigeria after the riots broke out.
Buhari disbanded the SARS police unit and promised reforms, but demands from young protesters expanded to call for greater change.
Police shooting at unarmed demonstrators sparked international condemnation, and caused chaos in Lagos.
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Now shops and stalls have started to open again since Saturday (24/10/2020) after reduced curfew.
Police stations were set on fire, supermarkets were looted and vehicles destroyed. Officials accuse “criminals” of taking advantage of the chaos.
Also read: Health Workers in Nigeria Strike, Demand PPE and Benefits to Handle Covid-19
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