Soldiers Shoot To Disperse 'Occupy' Protesters In Lagos As Nigerian Secret Police Raids CNN's Office
Posted: January 16, 2012 - 14:09


By SaharaReporters, New York
Soldiers deployed by Nigeria's head Goodluck Jonathan forcefully dispersed protesters around the city of Lagos today. Several protesters were dispersed by heavily armed soldiers shooting live bullets above their heads leading to mayhem as the protesters scampered to safety. Several protesters marched on Lagos streets in defiance of earlier orders by the government to prevent further protests.

Mr. Jonathan had slightly reduced prices of gasoline during an early state address in the morning, but protesters rejected the unilateral reduction and went on the streets to protest against the policy withdrawing fuel subsidy by the Nigerian government. Soldier had flooded Lagos streets since last night, dismantling public address systems put in place by the Save Nigeria Group at the popular square named after late Lagos lawyer, gain Fawehinmi.

Human rights lawyer Femi Falana told SaharaReporters earlier that soldiers prevent him from reaching the venue of a scheduled rally at the park. He was refused access despite protests that the military violates his rights by preventing him from reaching the venue.




However, defiant group of protesters led by a prominent activist, Bamidele Aturu and Abiodun Aremu of the Joint Action Front (JAF) defied the soldiers and marched on Ikorodu road until armed soldiers dispersed the crowd shooting recklessly. No injuries were reported so far.

A group of 5000 youths also gathered at Femi Kuti's shrine, chanting anti government songs and vowing to march on the Ojota venue of the #Occupy Nigeria movement.

Also, a batch of plain-cloth security invaded the offices of the CNN Lagos today apparently to prevent the cable news channel from beaming reports sympathetic to the Occupy protesters. The SSs also raided the offices of the BBC and briefly arrested Christian Purefoy (formerly of CNN) and later released him as he told them he no longer works with CNN. The CNN visiting correspendent Nima Elbagir has been invited by the SSS to their Kingsway road office in Ikoyi Lagos.

http://saharareporters.com/news-page/soldiers-shoot-disperse-occupy-protesters-lagos-nigerian-secret-police-raids-cnns-office

GEJ has shown his true face - that of a shameless animal.

E be like say Dame Patie don tell Ebele say if e no show those peple protesting say na im be Nigerian, yawa go gas. I really don't get why GEJ would go after peaceful protesters in full force and leave boko haram in God's hand.

An Animal as a President! Shame on you and your generation,

Jonathan is not doing the right thing, he should tell those soldiers to shot Yorubas at sight.

Shame on you, shameless , shoeless criminal.

Straight up

"Change does not roll in on the wheels of inevitability, but comes through continuous struggle. And so we must straighten our backs and work for our freedom. A man can't ride you unless your back is bent."

Martin Luther King, Jr.

And a few more thoughts, from one of the greatest men of my lifetime:

“On some positions, Cowardice asks the question, "Is it safe?" Expediency asks the question, "Is it politic?" And Vanity comes along and asks the question, "Is it popular?" But Conscience asks the question "Is it right?" And there comes a time when one must take a position that is neither safe, nor politic, nor popular, but he must do it because Conscience tells him it is right.”

. . .

“We must rapidly begin the shift from a "thing-oriented" society to a "person-oriented" society. When machines and computers, profit motives and property rights are considered more important than people, the giant triplets of racism, materialism, and militarism are incapable of being conquered.”

. . .

“The saving of our world from pending doom will come, not through the complacent adjustment of the conforming majority, but through the creative maladjustment of a nonconforming minority.”

Why re they nt shooting direct boolet?Since all those Agbelo and aleye in lagos will nt allow person to rest in this country??Idiotssssssssssssss

Guys no need to tribalise the issue at hand. People have a right to peaceful protest and the military have no business in stopping them. GEJ is surely on the wrong path.

GEJ has conducted the final burial ceremony of PDP in Nigeria

The nlc president should be stoned to deah for betraying Nigerians. chop I Chop people

Jonathan is not doing the right thing, he should tell those soldiers to shot Yorubas at sight.

Why re they nt shooting direct boolet?Since all those Agbelo and aleye in lagos will nt allow person to rest in this country??Idiotssssssssssssss

Why do we still have eediots on nairaland?

They said he is too weak. Now they complain he is a bully. GEJ should declare a state of emergency in Lagos and give soldiers a shoot at sight order jor!

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@Mumu I hope their bullet will not hit your family in lagos

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So where are those making noise that we are not in a military era?

Bensonite:

Guys no need to tribalise the issue at hand. People have a right to peaceful protest and the military have no business in stopping them. GEJ is surely on the wrong path.

Dont mind those imbecciles who think yorubas can be caged like them.Let them tribalize the issue and the soldiers should kill us maybe this will facilitate the eventual death of Nigeria.

Why do we still have eediots on nairaland?

Cos our mods are still on strike  

Soilders, why waste the bullets on innocent people. You would have made yourselves heroes if you turn your guns on who gave you orders.

muami:

They said he is too weak. Now they complain he is a bully. GEJ should declare a state of emergency in Lagos and give soldiers a shoot at sight order jor!

The ultimate sign of weakness is when you as a leader keep on making wrong decisions when the right ones are painfully obvious and relatively easy to implement because you don't want to lose the support of saboteurs and rent-seekers in the corridors of power.

~Bluetooth:

Dont mind those imbecciles who think yorubas can be caged like them.Let them tribalize the issue and the soldiers should kill us maybe this will facilitate the eventual death of Nigeria.  

lend urself a brain. . .dem tell u sey na only yurumba people dem shoot?  

they should go and face Boko haram since they are hungry of shooting

benzion72:

GEJ has conducted the final burial ceremony of PDP in Nigeria

 bro u have said it all

Jonaa,

I thought you told your zombies to kill anyone protesting in Lagos, why were they shooting into the air?

You see, you are not C-in-C.

hahaha, and some people say GEJ is weak, spineless. They wanted a Field Marshal, lion, Pharoah, General etc now you got it.

BE CAREFUL WHAT YOU WISH FOR PEOPLE  



Seriously, GEJ just allow these protesters to carry on. It may just die down in a few days or you give more concessions. Make a mistake and kill one person and you provoke the whole nation. A word is enough for the wise!

Atigba:

Why re they nt shooting direct boolet?Since all those Agbelo and aleye in lagos will nt allow person to rest in this country??Idiotssssssssssssss

bloody illiterate

The Nigerian state has finally turned into a take your turn state and institutional corruption, the use of force to overwhelm, and brutalize, eat with a billion and get drunk on our collective wealth while forgetting that one day not to far away it would dry up, they shouldn't think because God has placed them above the soil where oil is found makes them or gives them an entitlement to misdeamours and misbehaviour, look at them a govt., that established a group that got out of their control MEND, at least we know them now

umechuma:

Time to deal with wild,wild,West
I have always known most Yoruba people are noise makers and cowards
Just some few gun shots in the air and they are on the run
Cowards

 lol abi