Nigeria denies massacre of civilians in #EndSARS protests

By Olarewaju Kola and Ibrahim Garba Shuaibu

MAIDUGURI/KANO, Nigeria (AA) - Nigeria on Wednesday denied the massacre by security forces of at least a dozen civilians during protests last year against police brutality.

Speaking at a press conference in the capital Abuja, Information Minister Lai Mohammed insisted that no massacre took place during a confrontation between the army and protesters in Nigeria’s commercial hub of Lagos.

"There is no proof of any massacre as claimed. No such thing happened," he said.

He challenged US news outlet CNN to provide evidence for its claim.

A week of protests erupted in mid-October as young people across Nigeria took to the streets, calling for a notorious police unit known as the Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS) to be disbanded and for an end to police brutality in a movement tagged #EndSARS on social media.

One of the worst crackdowns during the protests took place at the Lekki Toll Gate in Lagos between demonstrators and army personnel drafted to the scene by the authorities.

A CNN report claimed that soldiers opened fire on the protesters, killing over a dozen.

Young people on Wednesday marched on the streets of Abuja and Lagos to mark the one-year anniversary of the protests.

The processions were halted by the police, who fired teargas to disperse them. Five people were reportedly arrested.

Nigerian police have come under sharp criticism by the public over alleged brutality and extrajudicial killings. The Lagos state government has already established a judicial commission to handle citizens' complaints and allegations against the police.