POLICE have killed 10 protesters as the Occupy Nigeria uprising gathers force.
Tens of thousands of people have been taking to the streets as trade unions join in the rebellion with an
indefinite nationwide strike against Goodluck Jonathan's neoliberal regime, which has hit the poor by removing a state fuel subsidy.
President of Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), Comrade Abdulwaheed Omar,
who confirmed the killing, accused the police of using excessive force
to quell the protests and cracking down on protesters.
Giving the breakdown of the casualty figure, Omar said six protesters
were killed in Maiduguri, the capital of Borno State, three in Lagos and
one in Kano during the demonstration, reports The Moment.
The Red Cross also confirmed that police fired live ammunition and tear
gas to disperse a crowd of protesters in Kano and Lagos wounding at
least 18 people, some of whom died in the hospital.
For the Lagos incident, angry protesters at Ogba in Lagos, identified
one of the slain protesters as Ademola Aderinto, and the injured as
Alimi Abubakar, Egbujor Samuel and Iyara.
One of the protesters, Dickson Oracle said, ‘There were about seven policemen shooting in the air to disperse protesters.
"The DPO (police chief) opened fire targeting these four people and shot
them. One died on the spot, because he sustained serious bullet wounds
and the remaining have been brought to the hospital."
Another protester, Abubakar, said: "We were standing in front of our
Mosque when some people who were sharing hand bills got to the place and
just as we were still talking with them, suddenly police vehicles
pulled up and started shooting sporadically on the ground before one of
their Ogas took the gun from one of them and fired at us and the bullet
hit me on my left thigh and I fell down.
"We were not even protesting on the road."
In Lagos the usually busy Mushin, Fadeyi, Jibowu, Ikorodu Road, Lagos-Abeokuta
Expressway were blocked by the protesters who made bonfires on the
roads.
At Fadeyi bus stop, demonstrators burnt tyres and scores of youth were seen chanting anti- government slogans.
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