The African Union Commission (AU) has released a statement condemning the deadly violence in Nigeria.
The AU’s statement follows an appearance by Governor Babjide Sanwo-Olu on Arise News.
AU’s chairman Moussa Faki Mahamat called on all parties to “privilege dialogue,” adding that the AU “strongly condemns the violence that erupted on 20 October 2020 during protests in Lagos, Nigeria that has resulted in multiple deaths and injuries.
“The Chairperson appeals to all political and social actors to reject the use of violence and respect human rights and the rule of law,” the statement from his office reads.
The AU’s statement follows an appearance by Governor Babjide Sanwo-Olu on Arise News.
Sanwo-Olu declared that the military presence would continue if protestors did not back down. “If indeed, I require for the military to come out, they will deploy them,” he said on air.
However, on social media, Sanwo-Olu’s sentiments offered a more sensitive timbre.
According to the human rights group Amnesty International, at least 12 people were killed by the Nigerian army and police in two locations, Lekki and Alausa, in Lagos on Tuesday.
“CCTV cameras at the Lekki toll gate, where #EndSARS protesters had been camped for two weeks, were removed by government officials and the electricity was cut — a clear attempt to hide evidence,” the organization said in a statement.
The government insists that only one death has been reported.
On Wednesday, Nigerian Vice President Yemi Osinbajo visited victims of the Lekki shootings in the hospital.
“The pain of these terrible events is palpable in our towns and cities, and some losses are irreplaceable, but we can and will get justice for all of them,” he wrote on Twitter. “I stand with Lagos & all other affected states in these trying times.”
