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Nigeria protests against police violence enter tenth day

Protests against police violence in Nigeria entered the tenth day on Saturday with more than 10,000 people invading the streets of Lagos.

Mothers also joined the march in the city centre of Nigeria’s economic capital.

“I am here to come and protest against the killing of my children, against the killing of our children, against the killing of the youth,” said Adepeju Dinyo.

“We want a new Nigeria where righteousness, peace and justice reign, where our children can live, can go to school and work and live their lives in peace.”

The rallies started last week after a video did the rounds online showing a man being beaten, apparently by police from the Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS) unit.

The police unit has killed and tortured many Nigerians, according to human rights groups.

Since the protests began, at least 10 people have been killed and hundreds injured, according to Amnesty International, which accuses the police of using excessive force against the demonstrators.

The #EndSARS campaign has attracted international support, including from supporters of Black Lives Matter in the U.S. and Twitter co-founder Jack Dorsey who retweeted posts from Nigerian demonstrators.

In response to the widespread demonstrations by young Nigerians, the government said it would disband the SARS unit last Sunday.

But the protesters are now calling on the government to be accountable, fight corruption and grant more freedoms.

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