Nigerian Police Force Mobilize to Quell Worst Unrest in 20 Years
BRUNHUBER: In Nigeria, chaotic scenes of looting and destruction prompted the deployment of the nation's entire police force. Now this comes after weeks of protests across the country over police brutality. The government shut down the special anti robbery squad over accusations that members of that union have harassed, kidnapped, extorted even murdered people. As CNN's Nima Elbagir reports, this past week was a bloody one in Lagos.</s>NIMA ELBAGIR, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Broken glass and debris on the streets of Lagos. Shattered remnants of protests in Nigeria over police brutality that quickly turned from peaceful to deadly. There is a tense calm in the city now. But on Tuesday night, the city erupted into chaos after eyewitnesses say multiple protesters were shot and killed by army soldiers. The army has dismissed reports of the incident as "fake news." The shooting set off a wave of anger across the country. Many shops and businesses have been burned or damaged and there is widespread looting in the worst unrest in the country since its return to civilian rule in 1999. It is one of the biggest political challenges so far for the country's president, Muhammadu Buhari. On Thursday he addressed the nation, appealing for calm.</s>MUHAMMADU BUHARI, PRESIDENT OF NIGERIA: Your voice has been heard loud and clear and we are responding.</s>ELBAGIR (voice-over): But critics say he waited too long to make a public statement and didn't even address the events on Tuesday, which has further angered many Nigerians.</s>UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: People died, people and their loved ones, and he didn't mention anything about. It</s>UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The speech was baseless, hopeless.</s>ELBAGIR (voice-over): The state governor spoke to CNN and said he is committed to a full investigation of what happened and people will be held accountable but also says demonstrators should have left when they were told, as a curfew was in effect.</s>UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The protesters had the time to also have left the site we're talking about. But it's totally condemning (ph).</s>ELBAGIR (voice-over): The protests began more than 2 weeks ago and has been largely driven by young people in Nigeria, organizing on social media under the #EndSARS who initially called for a police unit known as a special anti-robbery squad to be disbanded because of allegations of kidnapping, harassment and extortion. Under intense pressure, the government agreed to dissolve the unit and redeploy officers to a different team. But the movement continued, widening to include economic reforms and more protections against the police. The voices raised here in a call for justice have found willing echoes around the world, gaining international attention from celebrities like Beyonce and Rihanna, placing a spotlight on shootings that have yet to be fully explained and the growing discontent from the country's youth -- Nima Elbagir, CNN, London.</s>BRUNHUBER: Samsung's chairman Lee Kun-hee has died after years of illness. He had been comatose after suffering a heart attack in 2014. His son has been leading the company since becoming vice chairman in 2012 and is expected to inherit his father's title. Lee Kun-hee was 78 years old. We will be right back.