Many young Nigerian graduates and youths have expressed shock over protesters’ killings in Lagos on Tuesday. The Nigerian army has opened fire on #ENDSARS protesters at the Lekki Toll Gate in the state in its response to the protest and as a way of enforcing the 24-hour curfew imposed on the state earlier Tuesday.
In an interview with Franktalknow.com on Wednesday, the youths expressed their disappointment in government, saying they were yet to recover from the shock and the trauma of the entire exercise.
One of them, Ife, a young graduate said, “I couldn’t believe what I was seeing, I mean seeing the video of soldiers deliberately aiming at killing people. Why would soldiers open fire on peaceful protesters like that?
“I have been crying all night. I couldn’t sleep. And the two times I dosed off, I had two nightmares. This is gory. I never knew this country is this lawless,’’ she said.
For Michael, also a young graduate born in the 90s, this was his first time of seeing agents of state unleash terror on the citizens. He said, “The curfew was meant to start by 9pm but these soldiers started killing protesters before 8pm. This is like a movie to me. I never knew this kind of thing is possible.
“How can government open fire on its own people? The protest has been peaceful. It was well organised. Even if government was angry that people did not obey curfew, I never imagined they could just be spraying people like that.”
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Betty said she is still in tears. According to her, though she was not at the venue of the protest, she was fully in support of the protesters as she believed they were fighting for a better Nigeria.
“I am still in shock. I mean, these soldiers also prevented ambulances from reaching the victims. It took time before they allowed ambulances to come in. I didn’t know Nigeria was such a terrible country like this. I am sad to say the least.”
Ojuola said she closed her eyes and believed it was all a dream. “I am still in shock,” she said.
A food technologist on Twitter @son_of_onyena said, “We have not destroyed anything but we get destroyed in return. Who disturbed the peace, we or the government?
Findings revealed that many of these youths were experiencing the trauma of being caught in a face- off with security operatives for the first time in their lives. Many of them were born in the 90s. Although the June 12 crisis occurred in the 90s, many of the youths were either too small to know what happened or not yet born at the time of the crisis.
The removal of history from the school curriculum appears to have worsened the situation as many of them did not really have a good understanding of public protests and the military involvement in quelling such in the country.
Some parents who spoke to franktalknow.com said their children were yet to recover from the trauma of Tuesday night’s experience.
A lecturer in one of the country’s polytechnics who lives away from his family said, “My children wept o. Hmmm. They are in a state of shock: really. They are so disappointed in Nigeria and it’s leadership! My wife told me they cried all through the night. None of them could sleep. It was too traumatic for them. “
Another said, “My older daughter won’t stop crying. She says she doesn’t understand how the military would fire on defenceless people. It’s quite a shock for her really.”
Another, whose children were among the youths at Lekki Gate protest ground said, “Mine were there at the protest and can’t believe some of their mates were caught in the shootings. They have not been themselves since last night.”
Nigerian youths have been protesting against police brutality for some weeks now. The protest which started as #ENDSARS led to the disbandment of the Special Anti-Robbery Squad and its replacement by Special Weapons and Tactics Team (SWAT). Also, many state governments have set up judicial panels to probe cases of police brutality.
However, things began to get out of hand when pockets of violence were reported in some states. This prompted some state governments to impose a 24-hour curfew. Lagos State governor, Babajide Sanwo-Olu imposed a curfew on the state on Tuesday afternoon. The curfew was to take effect from 4pm but the time was later shifted to 9pm.
But some of the protesters refused to leave the Lekki Toll Gate which they have occupied for some days, prompting the move of soldiers to the scene. About 49 people were reportedly killed although the state government has only confirmed one death so far.
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