Nigeria declares 24-hour curfew in Lagos as violence flares during protests

Protests that began 12 days ago over abuses by the police's loathed Special Anti-Robbery Squad have spiraled dramatically. Around 18 people have died in clashes reported between protesters and assailants wearing civilian clothes. Authorities declared a 24-hour curfew in Nigeria's economic hub Lagos on Tuesday as a violence flared in widespread protests that have rocked cities across the country. Lagos state governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu announced only "essential service providers and first responders" would be allowed on the street from 4 pm (15:00 GMT).

"I have watched with shock how, what began as a peaceful #EndSARS protest has degenerated into a monster that is threatening the well-being of our society", he wrote on Twitter. "Lives and limbs have been lost as criminals and miscreants are now hiding under the umbrella of these protests to unleash mayhem on our state".

Lagos, a city of 20 million has been paralysed as crowds have blocked key roads and access to the international airport. An Agence France-Presse journalist saw young men manning makeshift checkpoints and stopping cars on routes across the city. They were not carrying the placards and signs that have characterised earlier peaceful protests. Witnesses told AFP that a police station was set ablaze in the Orile Iganmu district of the city on Tuesday. They said police opened fire on the protesters, wounding several.

The government announced the scrapping of the SARS unit and a raft of reforms over a week ago in a bid to placate the protesters. But many of the young demonstrators are skeptical of government promises and they have begun to demand more sweeping changes.