lagos - The African Mirror

Nov

2020

Nigerian minister says it’s unclear who shot protesters in Lagos

ALEXIS AKWAGYIRAM "HOODLUMS" wearing military uniforms may have shot Nigerian protesters campaigning against police brutality and it was too soon to tell if soldiers were involved, the country's attorney general has said. Demonstrations across the country turned violent on October 20 when witnesses in Lagos said the military opened fire on peaceful protesters in the upmarket Lekki district shortly after local authorities imposed a 24-hour curfew, drawing international condemnation. Soldiers and police killed at least 12 people in two Lagos neighbourhoods on October 20, according to witnesses and rights group Amnesty International. The army and police have denied involvement. Attorney-General…

Oct

2020

By The African Mirror

Amnesty disputes Nigerian army claim it did not shoot Lagos civilians

NEWS

CAMILLUS EBOH and PAUL CARSTEN NIGERIA’S Lagos state government asked the army to intervene to restore order amid anti-police brutality protests, but soldiers did not shoot civilians, the military said, an assertion an Amnesty International investigation disputed on Wednesday. Nigeria has been on edge following one of its biggest social upheavals in 20 years. Demonstrations across the country turned violent on October 20 when witnesses in Lagos said the military opened fire on peaceful protesters shortly after local authorities imposed a 24-hour curfew, drawing international condemnation. The Lagos government asked the army to deploy due to "violence which led to…

Oct

2020

By The African Mirror

‘I was going to die there’: Lagos panel begins hearing police brutality claims

NEWS

LIBBY GEORGE A judicial panel investigating claims of police brutality and the shooting of protesters began hearing complaints in Lagos on Tuesday in a nation on edge following Nigeria's biggest upheaval in 20 years. Independent investigations were a core demand of protesters who successfully demanded the end of a widely feared police branch called the Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS). The demonstrations turned violent on October 20 when witnesses said the military opened fire on peaceful protesters. The army said it was not there. Authorities said at least 13 states have established judicial panels. The Lagos panel has yet to receive…

Oct

2020

By The African Mirror

Nigeria’s police chief mobilises to quell worst unrest in two decades

NEWS

ANGELA UKOMADU NIGERIA'S police chief ordered the immediate mobilisation of all force resources to try to control the worst street violence in Africa's most populous country in two decades stemming from protests against police brutality. The unrest, unprecedented since the 1999 return to civilian rule, is the most serious political crisis confronting President Muhammadu Buhari, a former military ruler elected in 2015. Curfews have been imposed on millions of people in recent days in response to violence and looting in parts of the country. Violence, particularly in the commercial capital Lagos, escalated after demonstrators were shot on Tuesday night in…

Oct

2020

By The African Mirror

Nigeria’s president urges end to street protests as gunfire heard in Lagos after protest crackdown

NEWS

FELIX ONUAH and LIBBY GEORGE NIGERIAN President Muhammadu Buhari has called for an end to street protests in the country, as authorities in the commercial capital Lagos struggled to enforce a curfew imposed to contain anger over a crackdown on anti-police protesters. Gunshots rang out and smoke rose from at least two fires in the commercial capital's affluent Ikoyi neighbourhood, witnesses said. A fire broke out in the district's prison, the state government said. Video footage showed a blaze in a shopping mall in another part of Lagos. Violence in Lagos, Africa's biggest city - where witnesses on Thursday reported…

Oct

2020

By The African Mirror

Lagos imposes 24-hour curfew amid protests against Nigeria’s police

NEWS

ALEXIS AKWAGYIRAM and LIBBY GEORGE THE Nigerian state of Lagos has imposed a 24-hour curfew, saying protests against alleged police brutality had turned violent after a police station in the commercial capital was set on fire. A business group said the demonstrations had cost Nigeria $1.8 billion. Thousands of Nigerians demanding an end to alleged police brutality have taken to the streets every day for more than a week across the country, posing a challenge to President Muhammadu Buhari. Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu said the curfew would affect all parts of the state, including Lagos - Africa's largest city with 20…

Oct

2020

By The African Mirror

Nigerian informal retailers turn tech-savvy to stock up amid pandemic

COVID-19

NNEKA CHILE and ABRAHAM ACHIRGA WHEN the coronavirus outbreak forced shops to close in Nigeria's commercial capital Lagos, kiosk store owner Funmilayo Akinola weighed up her safety against the need to make a living. After deciding that she couldn't afford to stop working, she faced the challenge of replenishing her stock as the pandemic has made it harder for informal traders to buy wholesale goods due to safety measures disrupting supply chains. The answer lay in a logistics firm that provides an online marketplace where manufacturers and retailers connect. Lagos-based Trade Depot delivered goods that she bought using the company's…

Sep

2020

By The African Mirror

World’s smartest cities index, African capitals struggle

AFRICITIES

EMMA BATHA SINGAPORE, Helsinki and Zurich are the world's smartest cities, according to an index published, amid a growing debate on the future of urban design for a post-COVID era. From smart traffic cameras and car sharing apps to pollution monitoring and free wifi for all, cities around the world are racing to embrace technology, but researchers said the real test was whether citizens felt the benefits. "The world's 'smart' cities don't simply adopt new technology, they make sure it truly improves citizens' lives," said Arturo Bris of the Swiss-based International Institute for Management Development (IMD), which published the index.…

Sep

2020

By The African Mirror

Cities like Lagos need building designs that don’t just copy global styles

AFRICITIES

DR ANTHONY OGBUOKIRI, Senior Lecturer, Nottingham Trent University DR EMMANUEL MANU, Associate Professor in Quantity Surveying and Project Management, Nottingham Trent University COVERED in glass, the former IMB Plaza building in Lagos stood as an example of the influence of international design styles on the Nigerian commercial capital’s architecture. Such “internationally” styled high-rise buildings, often seen as a symbol of progress and economic advancement, are not always well integrated into the local climate or landscape. In the case of Lagos, the climate is hot and humid, yet buildings like this are hermetically sealed, enclosed in glass, with limited shading from…

Aug

2020

By The African Mirror

Schools to reopen in Nigeria’s Lagos as COVID-19 cases decline

COVID-19

SCHOOLS will reopen in Nigeria's commercial hub of Lagos next month as part of plans to revive the economy as COVID-19 cases decline, the state governor has announced. Lagos, the epicentre of the pandemic in Nigeria, plans to reopen colleges on September 14, and primary and secondary school schools on September 21, Babajide Sanwo-Olu said. "The gradual easing doesn't mean the pandemic is over," he said in a tweet. "It is not an invitation to carelessness or nonchalance." The Lagos governor said restaurants, social clubs and recreational centers would also be allowed to reopen as long as they followed safety…