LAGOS, Oct. 20 (Xinhua) -- Authorities in Lagos, Nigeria's economic hub have imposed a curfew and announced the closure of all public and private schools following the degeneration of the anti-police-brutality protests.
Babajide Sanwo-Olu, the governor of Lagos made this known in a statement made available to Xinhua, saying the proactive measure would go a long way in tackling the spread of violence reported during protests against the brutality of the Special Anti-Robbery Squad(SARS), a police unit disbanded earlier this month.
"I have watched with shock how what began as a peaceful #EndSARS protest has degenerated into a monster that is threatening the well-being of our society. Lives and limbs have been lost as criminals and miscreants are now hiding under the umbrella of these protests to unleash mayhem on our State," he said.
"As a government that is alive to its responsibility and has shown a commitment to the movement #ENDSARS, we will not watch and allow anarchy in our dear state," he added.
Therefore, the governor said, a 24-hour curfew will be imposed on all parts of the state as from Monday. "Nobody, except essential service providers and first responders, must be found on the streets," He said.
The state government on Monday announced the closing down of all public and private schools as part of preventive measures to ensure the safety of students, faculties and parents as protests against alleged police misconduct intensified.
According to reports by local media, scores of person, including policemen, have been injured during protests across major cities in the country in recent days. Enditem