It appears that there are attempts for protesters against police brutality in Nigeria to elect their leaders, according to Nigeria’s Premium Times newspaper.
The protests so far have not had official leaders, although a group called the Feminist Coalition has been collecting and dispersing donations.
The Premium Times reports that an informal election announcement was posted on the blogging platform Medium by what appears to be a group which calls itself BNI. It is not clear what BNI stands for or who is behind the group.
Three Google Forms have been set up to nominate protest leaders at federal level, Lagos state level and an advisory board.
More than ten people are listed and there is an option to add names.
It is not clear if these people have put themselves forward or are even aware of the vote.
The Feminist Coalition have so far not commented on the vote but some of their founding members, including Kiki Mordi appear to be on the list.
Last week the Feminist Coalition asked Nigerian youths to stay at home after President Muhammadu Buhari warned protesters.
However, Mr. Buhari has appealed for peace as a judicial panel set up to investigate police abuses in the commercial hub of Lagos begins sittings on Monday.
The investigative panel was one of the demands of the protesters who want police officers accused of abuse to be held accountable.
They also want victims of police brutality or their relatives to be compensated by the government.
Lagos state was the first of the country’s 36 states to set up a panel and has asked people to submit complaints.
He said he had all along avoided going into a debate about the shootings in Lekki toll gate, a wealthy suburb in Lagos, until all the facts are established, according to a statement from his office.
“The President advises that peace, brotherhood, and inter communal harmony are central to our ethos and urges Nigerians ‘not to turn against one another in hate’,” the statement said.
The investigations will start after nearly two weeks of protests across Nigeria by youths demanding police reforms and how the country is run.
President Buhari said 69 people were killed during the violent protests, including 51 civilians.
Lagos State Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu said the authorities had expanded the scope of investigations to include the shooting incident at the Lekki toll gate last Tuesday.
BBC
