Hoodlums on Friday killed two #EndSARS protesters in Benin, the Edo State capital, Newsflash247 reports
The #EndSARS protest, which started last week, has spread to different parts of the country.
On Friday morning, protesters hit the streets of Benin, capital of Edo, to demand an end to police brutality.
One of the male victims was shot dead while the other was macheted by hoodlums at Ring Road near the palace of the Oba of Benin.
It was gathered that the protesters had converged on Ring Road, when hoodlums, who accused the protesters of preventing them from making money from daily issuance of tickets to commercial drivers, swooped on them with guns and machetes.
They dispersed the protesters after killing two of them.
The determined protesters, who scampered to safety, later massively regrouped and continued moving towards Benin and its environs.
They terminated the protest at Government House in Government Reservation Area (GRA).
Governor Godwin Obaseki condemned the attack on the protesters in Benin, while urging police operatives to ensure adequate security for them.
The governor said some persons lost their lives in the incident.
In a statement, Crusoe Osagie, his media aide, issued on his behalf, Obaseki asked the police to provide adequate security for the protesters.
“I have just learnt that hoodlums have attacked #ENDSARS protesters, who have conducted themselves peacefully in Benin City. I extend condolences to the victims of the attacks, including those who lost their lives and others who were injured by the thugs,” Osagie quoted him to have said.
“It is disheartening that anyone would attack a peaceful assembly of young people who are expressing genuine concerns over police brutality and intimidation in their own country.
“I hereby call on the Edo State Police Command to get out on the streets and provide adequate security for the protesters and ensure that no one is harassed in the course of exercising their rights.”
Protesters were attacked in Lagos and Abuja on Thursday.
To prevent further attacks, organisers of the protest in Lagos hired private security guards.
