The governor of Nigeria’s Osun state has escaped what officials call an “assassination attempt” when armed people attacked anti-police brutality protesters in the state capital Osogbo.
After marching with the protesters, Governor Adegboyega Oyetola was addressing them when shots were fired.
Mr Oyetola was not hurt but some of his aides were wounded.
Nigeria has been rocked by more than two weeks of protests against the Sars police unit.
Its officers are accused of extortion, torture and murder.
The government has promised to disband Sars (Special Anti Robbery Squad) but this has not satisfied the protesters, who have now broadened their demands, calling for an end to decades of corruption and mismanagement in Africa’s biggest oil producer, which has left many young Nigerians with bleak economic prospects.
Thousands of mostly young people have once more taken to the streets of cities across the country.
The protests have also been backed by global celebrities such as Twitter founder Jack Dorsey, US rapper Kanye West, footballers Mesut Ozil and Marcus Rashford as well as Nigerian superstars Davido and Wizkid.
What happened in Osun?
A group of people armed with guns and machetes opened fire at the time Mr Oyetola was addressing the protesters in the Osun state capital Osogbo – after he had marched and sang with them.
The officials were hurriedly taken into their vehicles for safety.
Stones were also hurled at the official convoy as it left.
The governor’s spokesperson told the BBC that the governor and his deputy survived the attack unhurt but some aides were wounded and a local journalist was in critical condition due to a serious head injury.
Officials say the attack was not carried out by the protesters but by thugs.
Similar attacks on the protesters have also happened in the capital, Abuja, and the country’s biggest city, Lagos. It is not clear who is behind them.
Mr Oyetola is from the same party as President Muhammadu Buhari, the All Progressives Congress.
What do the protesters want now?
The hashtag #EndBadGovernance has now been shared by almost 1.8 million twitter users, while #BetterNigeria and #FixNigeriaNow are also being widely used.
Source:starrfm.com.gh