Nigeria Crackdown: Buhari Warns Protesters, Fails to Address Shooting

As part of his crackdown, Buhari called on Nigerians to stop demonstrating and engage with the government during a short televised speech on Thursday. The shootings have been widely condemned, but he did not speak of them at all during his address.

Buhari ordered Nigeria youths “to discontinue the street protests and constructively engage the government in finding solutions.”

Gunfire rang out in the affluent Ikoyi neighborhood of Nigeria’s commercial capital Lagos on Thursday with witnesses saying assailants attacked a detention facility in the area that is home to government offices.

Smoke was also seen rising from the direction of Ikoyi correctional facility, and trucks carrying police were seen heading towards the prison. The wreckage of a dozen cars smoldered in the upscale Ikoyi neighborhood and two official buildings were ablaze.

Other accounts suggested the gunfire resulted from an attempted jailbreak by prisoners. It was unclear if any inmates escaped.

Soldiers patrolled the streets of the city on Thursday a day after several buildings – including police stations, a TV channel and the port – were torched.

The city of 20 million is under a round-the-clock curfew imposed after nearly two weeks of protests against police brutality – the West African nation’s biggest wave of unrest since the end of military rule in 1999.

Amnesty International said at least 12 people were killed by the Nigerian army and police in a crackdown on protesters on Tuesday that drew international condemnation. Overall, 56 people have died across the country since demonstrations against police abuse and bad governance began on October 8.