UPDATE 2-Nigerian anti-police protesters must enter dialogue, minister says

(Adds coronavirus warning)
By Paul Carsten
ABUJA, Oct 19 (Reuters) - Nigerians protesting against what
they condemn as police brutality must end their daily
demonstrations and enter into dialogue with the government on
law enforcement reforms, the youth minister said on Monday.
Thousands of Nigerians calling for an end to alleged
brutality and for law enforcement reforms have taken to the
streets every day for more than a week across the country,
posing a major challenge to President Muhammadu Buhari.
Protests have continued despite the dissolution of the
Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS) police unit on Oct. 11
following accusations of human rights abuses against the unit.
Lagos state, including some others, have set up a panel to
investigate allegations of police brutality while the southern
state of Edo has imposed a curfew following an escalation of
protest-related violence.
Sunday Dare, minister of youth and sports development, told
Reuters the government had met the demonstrators' demands,
including the creation of an independent body to investigate
alleged misconduct and the release of all arrested protesters.
"It is time to move to the next stage, that next stage is
dialogue," said Dare in an interview in the capital, Abuja.
But he acknowledged the mistrust of demonstrators who say
the government has promised to reform the police in the past
with little discernible effect.
Even as the president and Nigeria's police chief promised
that force would not be used on peaceful protesters, police have
opened fire on demonstrators in recent weeks.
At least 10 protesters have been killed, Amnesty
International has said.
On Monday, the unrest spread as far north as Kano while
traffic on major roads in Lagos and Abuja were disrupted despite
threats from the military to dispel protesters.
Officials on a presidential task force for combating the
coronavirus pandemic told a news conference in the capital,
Abuja, they feared a surge in infections due to people attending
the protests.
Boss Mustapha, who chairs the task force, said the mass
gatherings were potentially "super spreader events". Nigeria,
with a population of 200 million people, has had 61,440
confirmed coronavirus cases that led to 1,125 deaths.
Dare said the government does not want the situation to
"escalate or descend into chaos" as a result of the
demonstrations and their impact on other Nigerians' livelihoods.
"Government has a responsibility when it comes to protecting
the lives, the liberties and freedoms of every other Nigerian,"
he said.

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Nigeria's police disbands controversial anti-robbery Squad after
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