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

By Alexis Akwagyiram
ABUJA, Nov 2 (Reuters) - "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 said on Monday.
Demonstrations across the country turned violent on Oct. 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 Oct. 20, according to witnesses and rights
group Amnesty International. The army and police have denied
involvement.
Attorney General Abubakar Malami told reporters in the
capital, Abuja, the matter was being investigated and there was
a need to establish whether the shooting took place, who was
responsible and whether the people who were shooting were part
of the military.
"You cannot rule out the possibility of perhaps hoodlums
that set in to create a scene... could equally partake in the
process," Malami said at the news conference, which was also
attended by government officials including the defence minister
and finance minister.
He also said it was "pre-emptive" to conclude that there had
even been a shooting.
Lagos state has ordered an investigation into the incident.
Last week the military said the Lagos state government asked
the army to intervene to restore order, but soldiers did not
shoot civilians. Nationwide protests against alleged human rights abuses by
police sparked some of Nigeria's worst street violence since it
returned to civilian rule in 1999. Police last week said 22 of
its personnel were killed in the violence and 205 police
stations were damaged.
The unrest, which has largely died down, has posed the
biggest political challenge faced by President Muhammadu Buhari
since he took office in 2015.