Nigerian soldiers fire at protesters -witnesses
Soldiers opened fire on Nigerians protesting against police brutality on Tuesday (October 20) in the major city of Lagos, according to four eyewitnesses who spoke to Reuters.
In video obtained by the news agency, people are seen running amid the sounds of gunshots.
The witnesses say that at least two people were shot, their condition was not immediately known.
Thousands of Nigerians have demonstrated nationwide for nearly two weeks against a police unit called the Special Anti-Robbery Squad.
They came after a video that began circulating earlier this month supposedly showing officers shooting a man in the country's southern Delta state, which the police later denied.
Rights groups have long accused the squad of extortion, harassment, torture and murders.
The unit was disbanded earlier this month, but the protests have continued with demonstrators calling for a raft of law enforcement reforms.
Rights groups such as Amnesty International have said at least 15 people had been killed since the protests began.
The Lagos state government has said it would open an investigation into Tuesday's shooting, while a Nigerian army spokesman did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
But in a Twitter post, the Nigerian Army claimed no soldiers were at the scene of the shooting Tuesday night.
Authorities on Tuesday imposed a round-the-clock curfew on Lagos after the state governor said protests had turned violent.
A spokesman said the national police chief has also ordered the immediate deployment of anti-riot forces nationwide following increased attacks on police facilities.
