#EndSARS, one year after
+ Conditions for Tucano jets
* The Naira/Dollar rate was calculated by averaging buying rates from several Nigerian FinTech startups.
** The NGX figure is from Monday. The market was closed on Tuesday due to the Eid-ul-Maulud celebrations.
Good morning.
Welcome to the Wednesday briefing. This newsletter keeps you updated with the latest news from Nigeria. Don’t forget to subscribe to receive it in your email before 7 am (WAT) every weekday.
One year after . . .
Today marks one year since the Nigerian military opened fire on unarmed protesters at the Lekki toll gate in Lagos. The federal government continues to deny there was a massacre and the military claims its officers only shot into the air to disperse a crowd and enforce a government-induced curfew. But accounts of persons who died or sustained gunshot injuries at the toll-gate have since emerged. This mother’s story of her son’s death, told by CNN’s Stephanie Busari, is one of the latest.
Besides justice for slain innocents during the protests, the main rationale for #EndSARS - ending police brutality - appears defeated, one year after. Although the government has officially disbanded the notorious special anti-robbery squad (SARS), police brutality remains rife; young people are still being harassed at illegal checkpoints and the police have simply resumed their notorious activities. In September, a 17-year-old girl about to get into the university was fatally shot by a police officer in a random raid. Similar stories abound.
A number of protests (described as memorial processions) are expected to hold today and the police, particularly in Lagos, have rolled out their tanks and anti-riot equipment to, in their own words, keep the peace and prevent a breakdown of law and order.
Quote: “We wish we could permit such street protests,” police commissioner Hakeem Odumosu said on Tuesday, warning against public protests. “However, intelligence at our disposal has revealed plans by some faceless groups or individuals to stage an anti-EndSARS anniversary protest in the state, same day.”
Feedback: If you plan on participating in any kind of protests today, either physically or virtually, please send me a message. I’ll like to hear your thoughts on how you are maintaining hope in the power of your voice to force a change.
What else is happening?
Tucano jets: Lawmakers are fighting to get the President to designate bandits as terrorists in order to allow the military to deploy the recently acquired jets from the United States against them. Apparently the US, before selling to Nigeria, had insisted that the Tucano jets must only be used against terrorists, according to intelligence sources who spoke to Punch newspaper.
Kaduna State: Government sources claimed on Tuesday that the military had killed about 50 bandits in a joint operation of air and ground troops in Birnin Gwari local government area. The Kaduna state government has also mandated Covid vaccination for civil servants in the state.
Imo State: At least two traditional rulers were killed when gunmen opened fire at a council meeting in Njaba local government area. Some three other traditional rulers are believed to be in a coma. Governor Hope Uzodinma has vowed to bring the perpetrators to book.
Diplomatic ties: President Muhammadu Buhari is expected to host Turkish President Recep Erdogan in a two-day official visit, starting today. He is to fly in from Angola and be accompanied by his First Lady, Mrs. Emine Erdogan. Among other activities, the two leaders are expected to consider about two dozen bilateral agreements and MoUs.
Lagos State: A two-storey building in the Ikorodu area of the state collapsed on Monday evening, killing at least one person. Some 15 persons were rescued alive. According to one report, the building had earlier been marked for demolition by the Lagos state’s building control agency.
Crime: A 61-year-old pastor in Ondo has denied raping a teenager but said he would take responsibility for her pregancy. In Edo state, a boy is said to have died by suicide over allegations of incest.
That’s it for today. Continue to stay safe.