Buhari ‘Disgusted’ By CNN, BBC Coverage of #EndSARS Protests

Muhammadu Buhari

Nigeria’s President Muhammadu Buhari has expressed his ‘disgust’ at the coverage of anti-police brutality protests in the country by foreign media, including the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) and America’s Cable News Network (CNN).

In a tweet Wednesday night, Buhari said that foreign press coverage of “the ENDSARS violence was not balanced, especially from CNN and BBC.”

“I was disgusted by the coverage, which did not give attention to the policemen that were killed, the stations that were burnt, and prisons that were opened,” Buhari said.

Protests against alleged brutality by rogue police unit SARS erupted in Lagos in October and quickly spread to numerous cities in the country.

On October 20, the protests turned deadly when uniformed soldiers opened fire on peaceful demonstrators at the Lekki toll gate, killing several people, according to rights group Amnesty International.

Riots, lootings and arson ensued in the aftermath of the shooting, with the Nigerian police force claiming several of its men were killed in the violence.

In an exclusive investigative report on the violence at the toll gate, international broadcaster CNN angered the Nigerian government when it claimed it had uncovered evidence the Nigerian army and police had shot at EndSARS protesters, killing many.

The Nigerian government called the CNN report “irresponsible” and “fallacious.”

Rita Osakwe