Abuja, Nigeria. – Nigerian authorities reported on Tuesday that during a demonstration against police brutality, gun-gunrs attacked two prisons and nearly 2,000 inmates escaped. Interior Ministry spokesman Mohammed Manga detailed in a statement that large crowds of armed people subjected guards to two penitentiaries in the state of Edo, southern Nigeria, and 1,993 prisoners took advantage to flee.
Stay informed about what matters most to you
Get the most relevant news of the day in your e-mail
Thank you for subscribing!
Check your inbox to confirm your email and start getting the latest news
Take advantage and take the next step
Get our news alerts so you don’t miss anything
Receive notifications
Not bad! You’ve subscribed to notifications
Set up and choose your preferences
Set up notifications
Enter your e-mail
Subscribe
Subscribing involves accepting the terms and conditions
Not bad! You’ve subscribed to notifications
Set up and choose your preferences
He said that “most inmates detained at the centres are convicted criminals serving sentences for various crimes, pending execution or while awaiting trial for violent crimes.”
The inspector general of the police bet riot officers in several cities and ordered the strengthening of security around prisons. Police said in a statement, “In the future, the force will exercise the full powers of the law to prevent any attack on the life and property of citizens.” For his part, Lagos State Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu warned on Twitter that protests against police brutality in Nigeria have “degenerated into a monster that threatens the well-being of our society.” CurfewThe governor indicated that the curfew encompasses the entire city of 14 million inhabitants and surrounding areas. A police station was set on fire and police shot dead two people.” Lives have been lost as criminals and wrongdoers hide under the umbrella of these protests to unleash chaos in our state,” he said. Authorities decreed a curfew in Benin City (formerly also called Edo) on Monday following violent prison events. Protests began two weeks ago after a social media video went viral, in which a man is beaten, apparently by Special Anti-Theft Squadron (SARS) cops. Demonstrators, most of them young, took to the streets in different cities under the legend #EndSARS. The government promised to dissolve the unit, which has been accused for years of committing torture and murder by human rights groups. With AP information
