The count of casualties from violent fallouts of what started as a peaceful protest against the Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS) is rising as victims soaked in their own blood are rushed to the Accident and Emergency (A&E) Ward of the Lagos University Teaching Hospital (LUTH), Idi-Araba, Lagos.
Victims sustaining varying degrees of injuries from gunshots, cutlass duel and stabbing, among other fracas, were rushed in on motorcycles by desperate persons.
In an unusual fashion and positive development, gunshot victims were promptly cared for at the A&E ward of LUTH.
In 10 minutes of BusinessDay’s visit at about 11:40am on Wednesday, at least five injured persons, all youthful male were received into the ward without hesitation.
Stephen Okoro, a 45-year-old protester, was, for instance, shot in the stomach around Tejuoso Market during police opening of fire on protesters.
His barber, who does not want his name mentioned, recognised him as he laid helplessly on the floor and rushed him to LUTH.
Okoro is just one of about three protesters shot at the Tejuoso scene, the Barber told BusinessDay. Many protesters have equally been shot fatally across various parts of Lagos, including Lekki, Mushin, Egbe-Idimu, among others.
As at the time of writing this report, Okoro has been administered first medical response but yet to get a surgery for the removal of the bullet stuck in his tommy.
Meanwhile, many unhurt protesters have been rallying around the hurt ones donating blood, as social media calls for help.
Socrates Mbamalu, on his Twitter page, confirmed, saying “I am at LUTH and the number of people that have come to donate blood for the #EndSARS movement shows that the government doesn’t know what it’s facing. A lot of young people here are showing their support by giving their blood.”
However, the violence from the protests seems to be taking attention away from other patients just like COVID-19 did in the wake of its outbreak.
At least three families are currently struggling to get attention for their sick relatives. If the protest continues without the security forces shielding their swords or protesters rethinking their approach, the tertiary hospital might be overwhelmed, leading to more deaths.
Attang, a doctor told BusinessDay that many victims were in dire need of blood donation while others needed to raise urgent funds for their bills.
Whereas, Temi Giwa-Tunbosun, CEO of LifeBank, a health technology company that circulates blood, cried out on Twitter on how moving blood to people in need proved difficult under violent escalations.
“We are trying to desperately move blood to hospitals! Hoodlums won’t let us pass. Please Yaba is a mess. People will die if we don’t move quickly! Please help!” she said.
Nigeria’s risk perception
The world woke up Wednesday to chilling news that Nigerian soldiers had turned their guns on peaceful protesters, a development now set to worsen risk perception in Africa’s biggest economy.
The Lagos State government declared a curfew on Tuesday and soldiers brought in to enforce it reportedly shot at protesters killing many.
On Wednesday hundreds of youths defied a government lockdown and returned to the streets of Lagos destroying government property including a local television station.
The youths, who carried sticks and metal poles, chased cars that tried to evade barricades they’d erected along on Lagos’s main expressways. The imposing new bus terminal at Oyingbo in Lagos mainland was burning Wednesday morning.
Prior to the crackdown on protesters, Nigeria’s risk perception was already poor. In 2019, the Euroasia group published a risk assessment report that described President Muhammadu Buhari as “an elderly, infirm leader who lacks the energy, creativity, or political savvy to move the needle on Nigeria’s most intractable problems.”
Country risk, which refers to the uncertainty associated with investing in a particular country, is worsened by political instability which can roil financial markets. Poor risk perception partly accounts for Nigeria’s declining foreign direct investments.
According to the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) 2020 World Investment Report, FDI flows to Nigeria totaled to $3,3 billion in 2019, showing a 48,5 percent decrease compared to the previous year ($6.4bn).
The troubling images and videos shared on social media and on television screens across the world is fueling calls by world leaders, celebrities, and foreign governments to the Nigerian government to halt violent attacks against protesters. This is also worsening Nigeria’s risk perception.
Andrew S. Nevin, Partner – West Africa Financial Services Leader and Chief Economist, Nigeria, said that countries that have managed to improve their security situation and good governance reap the benefit of it and that is where Nigeria needs to get to, “but right now the focus needs to be on the safety and security of all Nigerians and the international communities looks to the Nigerian authorities to do the right thing for all Nigerians.
“On the other hand if the movement leads to improved governance, rule of law better security for everyone then ultimately it will lead to better investment climate,” Nevin said, adding that security challenges in Nigeria is one of the reasons investors are conscious of the nation with the largest economy in Africa.
Joe Biden, the democratic party candidate in the November 3 US presidential elections, released a statement Tuesday urging President Buhari and his military forces “to cease the violent crackdown on protesters in Nigeria, which has already resulted in several deaths.”
Hillary Clinton, former US secretary of states, Tuesday night asked Nigerian authorities to “stop killing” persons protesting against police brutality in the country.
Many others including US Congresswoman woman Ilhan Omar, celebrities including Beyonce, and a growing list of international observers have called on the Nigerian government to halt a violent crackdown on peaceful protesters.
These calls happening amidst loud silence from Aso Rock is feeding the perception that the government is unwilling to engage and drumming aghast at home
Clement Isong, executive secretary and CEO Major Oil Marketers Association of Nigeria told BusinessDay that his heart was broken over the development as he sympathised with the family of those who lost loved ones in the struggle.
“This is an opportunity for the government to move quickly, and show its human rights credentials at a time we are deregulating the downstream oil and gas sector with the hope of attracting foreign investments. The government needs to be seen as respecting the rule of law,” said Isong.
The UK parliament says it will consider a petition asking the country to sanction the Nigerian government for human rights abuses over the #EndSARS movement. This is following a petition by more than 133,000 signatures, less than 24 hours after it was created, and is more than the 100,000 signatures required by the parliament before it considers a petition.
Gory images of bloodied protesters were a constant feature in newspapers and television stations across the world. The New York Times reported the tragic climax to days of mainly peaceful action by the youths with a headline titled, “Nigerian forces fire on demonstrators protesting police brutality”.
Atlanta US-based Cable News Network, CNN titles its online story, “Eyewitnesses say Nigerian forces opened fire on protesters in Lagos.”
In its account, the newspaper for the world’s business elite, Wall Street Journal said “Nigerian protesters killed as soldiers opened fire in Lagos. In the report, WSJ said, ”several people were killed as Nigerian soldiers opened fire at a key protest site in Lagos, witnesses said.”
The London Guardian newspaper said “Nigerian forces have opened fire on hundreds of protesters in Lagos, as rallies against police brutality continued in defiance of a 24-hour curfew imposed by the government earlier in the day.
The impact of this negative coverage is bad for business, analysts say. “Investors do not like uncertainty. In the short term, it is going to significantly impact foreign investment inflows into Nigeria. How it turns out, in the long run, depends on how government resolves the issues on the table,” Trevor Ward, managing director, London-based W Hospitality Group said.
UN’s condemnation
The UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Michelle Bachelet on Wednesday strongly condemned the use of excessive and disproportionate force by Nigerian armed forces in Lagos on Tuesday evening.
She called on the Nigerian authorities to take urgent steps to deal decisively with the underlying problem of persistent violations committed by the security forces, and make a far stronger effort to bring police and army personnel guilty of crimes against civilians to justice.
“While the number of casualties of yesterday’s shooting at the Lekki toll plaza in Lagos is still not clear, there is little doubt that this was a case of excessive use of force, resulting in unlawful killings with live ammunition, by Nigerian armed forces,” Bachelet said.
“Reports that CCTV cameras and lighting were deliberately disabled prior to the shooting are even more disturbing as, if confirmed, they suggest this deplorable attack on peaceful protesters was premeditated, planned and coordinated.”
“Nigeria was already at boiling point before this shooting because of the revelations about years of unchecked violence, including alleged killings, rape, extortion and other violations, by the SARS,” the UN Human Rights Chief continued.
“While the authorities have now dissolved SARS and announced a series of inquiries at both Federal and State levels, there have still been few if any charges levelled against its members despite abundant evidence against various members of the squad, as well as members of other security forces and the army.”
Many Nigerians appear not to trust the inquiries and other measures that have been announced by the authorities, and have continued to take to the streets in several cities to protest.
“I appreciate that the Government has taken a number of measures to address the protestors’ demands,” Bachelet said. “However, the immediate creation of another elite police SWAT team to replace the SARS — without first addressing some of the root causes of police violence and putting in place sufficient safeguards to prevent future violations — has eroded the public’s trust even further. This latest terrible event in Lagos is like wantonly adding fuel to a fire that was already starting to rage out of control.”
Bachelet said the way to restore trust and bring back peace to the streets of Nigeria is for the authorities to take immediate concrete steps to show they are genuinely committed to tackling impunity, after years of inaction.
“There need to be immediate, independent, transparent and thorough investigations, not just into last night’s killings, but also into all the previous violations committed by security forces,” Bachelet said.
“Those appointed to carry out such investigations must not only be independent and impartial but must be widely perceived as such. And, where sufficient evidence already exists to warrant charges, immediate suspension of officers – including senior officers — suspected of committing serious crimes, should take place long before the conclusion of such investigations.”
“After so many years of reported violations that have not been adequately dealt with, there also needs to be a root and branch re-examination of the entire security sector, and of its civilian oversight,” the High Commissioner added. “This should include a fullscale review of rules of engagement and training systems and methods.”
Bachelet also called for immediate investigations into reports of violent and provocative attacks on peaceful protestors by unidentified groups armed with cudgels, cutlasses, sticks or guns, in some cases apparently with the overt backing of police or other security forces.
“Nigerians, like everyone else, have a fundamental right to peaceful assembly and protest,” Bachelet said. “The Government has a responsibility to take positive measures to ensure the realization of this right, including deterring others who intend to prevent them from protesting peacefully. The world’s attention is now focused sharply on how Nigeria’s Government and security forces react over the coming days and weeks.”
The High Commissioner urged the authorities to grant reparations to the victims and to open extensive dialogue with youth leaders, students and other groups who have been prominent among the protestors. “In a population with such a young median age, it is important to listen to the grievances of the younger generation and make an effort to address the multiple problems they face, which include — but are far from confined to — police brutality and violations.”
Open letter from Archbishop Tutu to Buhari
President Buhari, You appealed to Nigerians to give you a mandate in 2003, 2007 and 2011. In 2015, you walked among the people. Nigerians, young and old, walked with you. On May 29, 2015 we swore you in. You pledged to serve Nigeria, to “celebrate her freedom and cherish her democracy”. You said to Nigerians that, “together we cooperate to surprise the world that had come to expect only the worst from Nigeria.” You, saluted Nigerians for waiting long hours in rain and hot sunshine to register and cast their votes and stayed all night if necessary, to protect and ensure their votes count and were counted. You thanked those who tirelessly carried the campaign on social media.
President Buhari, this is an urgent call from those who gave you this mandate: tell the armed forces to stand down and stop shooting at or killing unarmed Nigerians. Undeniably, the lives of young Nigerians are being shed in hopes of a better Nigeria, which you chose to serve.
In the last two weeks, Nigeria has seen an intergenerational call for a better country through better governance. It was led by the youth and it was peaceful. Given your experience running for office, where there is a crowd there are opportunists that seek to infiltrate and cause havoc. This was not the protesters, they remained peaceful. However, Mr. President, the democracy, which you choose to uphold, necessitates that the people speak. The rot in the system is undeniable. Nigerians at home and abroad were expressing their displeasure. That same groundswell that gave you a mandate was speaking to you, but our cries were met with a bloody flag. In spite of the denials, we are in a new age of social media, some of us were on ground while some watched on social media what transpired. The world watched alongside with us.
Mr. President, the armed forces should never be said to harm or kill its own unarmed people. We appeal to your duty as the Commander-in-Chief, your decision to be the democratically elected President of Nigeria and your role as a Father: stay the bullets of the armed forces.
As a democratic nation, Mr. President, we will continue to speak, we will continue to call out the rot in the Nigerian system, we have just one country. The same way you fought for it, we will fight for it.
(It was undersigned by 22 Archbishop Desmond Tutu Leadership Fellows of Nigeria).
