Nigeria’s president says 51 civilians have been killed in unrest following days of peaceful protests over police abuses, and he blames “hooliganism” for the violence while asserting that security forces have used “extreme restraint.”
President Muhammadu Buhari’s comments in a statement released late on Friday are expected to further inflame tensions after Amnesty International reported that soldiers shot and killed at least 12 demonstrators on Tuesday night as a large crowd sang the national anthem.
Mr Buhari also says 11 policemen and seven soldiers had been killed by “rioters” as of Thursday, and “the mayhem has not stopped”.
He says another 37 civilians were injured.
He was speaking to a special meeting with former heads of state and other officials on the way forward after some of Nigeria’s worst turmoil in years.
