Year after Nigeria’s deadly protests, police still accused

By CHINEDU ASADU
Associated Press

LAGOS, Nigeria (AP) — Joshua Samuel painfully recalls the day, one year ago, that Nigerian soldiers opened fire in Lagos while he and thousands of others were protesting police brutality. He is among more than 100 Nigerians awaiting rulings on their petitions seeking compensation and justice for what they allege are abuses by police. They made their applications to a government panel reviewing both the Oct. 20, 2020, shootings in which 38 people were killed, and earlier allegations of police brutality. While the police unit at the center of the protests has been disbanded, many Nigerians say police brutality hasn’t stopped. Dozens still remain in custody in Lagos a year after the protests, many of whom have yet to be charged.