A group that has been funding and organizing anti-police brutality marches in Nigeria has urged protesters to stay home.
The Feminist Coalition has, through donations, raised over 147 million naira which it has used to purchase medical supplies, provide legal aid, food, relief and other necessary supplies for #EndSARS protests across the country.
But in a statement posted to its Twitter page on Thursday night, the group said it would stop accepting donations, and encouraged young Nigerians to “stay safe and stay home.”
“Our priority is always the welfare and safety of the Nigerian youth,” it said.
“Following the President’s address, we hereby encourage all young Nigerians to stay safe, stay home and observe the mandated curfew in your state.”
The group added that it “has made a decision to henceforth stop all donation inflows for the #EndSARS peaceful protest” and said that the rest of the money raised will go towards funding medical emergencies, legal aid for wrongfully detained citizens, and relief for victims of police brutality and families of the deceased.
Anti-police brutality protests across the country had been largely peaceful since they began earlier this month. They turned bloody on Tuesday, October 20′ when soldiers opened fire on peaceful, unarmed protesters in Lekki, Lagos.
Human rights group Amnesty International says at least 12 people were killed in the shooting. However, Nigerian government officials say there were no casualties.
Two days after the incident, President Muhammadu Buhari addressed the nation in a speech that conspicuously made no mention of the Lekki shootings and warned the youths to put an end to further demonstrations.
Rita Osakwe
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