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LAST UPDATE | 22 Oct 2020
NIGERIAN PRESIDENT MUHAMMADU Buhari has spoken to the nation about the unrest that has gripped the country in recent days, but without making any mention of the shootings of peaceful protesters at Lekki toll plaza on Tuesday night that prompted international outrage.
The military opened fire without warning on thousands of peaceful protesters singing the national anthem on Tuesday night, killing at least 12 people, according to Amnesty International.
The shootings have been widely condemned but Buhari did not speak of them at all during his address today, instead urging protesters to stop their demonstrations.
“This government will not allow anybody or (any) groups to disrupt the peace of the nation,” he warned in his televised address, urging protesters to “resist the temptation of being used by some subversive elements to cause chaos with the aim of truncating our nascent democracy.
“For you to do otherwise will amount to undermining national security and law and order,” he said.
“Under no circumstances would this be tolerated.”
He called on Nigeria’s youths “to discontinue the street protests and constructively engage the government in finding solutions.
“Your voice has been heard loud and clear and we are responding.”
Buhari responded to the criticism he has received from fellow African heads of state and other world leaders by calling on them “to seek to know all the facts available before taking a position, or rushing to judgment and making hasty pronouncements”.
Even as Buhari was speaking, irate Nigerians flooded social media with denunciations.
“President Buhari during his speech refused to acknowledge those dead as a result of military attacked on Lekki protesters #EndSARS,” tweeted Usman Okai Austin.
“With this speech, it is confirmed we are on our own.
“May the souls of our brothers and sisters who died at #LekkiMassacre2020 and other places on #EndSARS protest rest in peace. Sad,” posted Henry Okechukwu.
The street demonstrations began early this month with calls for Nigeria’s government to shut down the Special Anti-Robbery Squad, a police unit known as Sars.
The squad was launched to fight crime, but it carried out torture and killings, according to Amnesty International.
The #EndSARS campaign spread across the country and Buhari’s government announced that it would disband the Sars unit.
The protest persisted with demonstrators calling for more widespread reforms of the police and an end to corruption.
But on Tuesday night security forces fired without warning into crowds of thousands of protesters singing Nigeria’s national anthem, killing 12, Amnesty said, citing witnesses and camera images.
Nigeria’s military has denied shooting at the protesters.
Violent unrest erupted yesterday in Lagos as mobs vandalised and burned police stations, courthouses, TV stations and a hotel.
Smoke billowed from several locations in the city as police battled angry crowds with tear gas and gunfire.
More protests today
Looting and gunfire continued in Nigeria’s second-largest city today.
As looting gangs stormed through parts of Nigeria’s largest city, spreading violence for a second day in Lagos.
Plumes of smoke rose from a prison where gunfire could be heard today, and a resident of the neighbourhood where the Ikoyi Correctional Centre is located, Tunde Oguntola, said he heard gunshots as soldiers and police officers put down what appeared to be an attempted jailbreak.
Police spokesman Olamuyiwa Adejobi said later on Thursday that an incident inside the prison “has been put under control as our men have moved in there to assist prison security”.
He did not describe the nature of the disturbance or say if anyone had been killed.
Gangs continued to vandalise properties in Lagos, he said.
The police spokesman distinguished the “hoodlums” from the thousands of demonstrators who had been peacefully protesting police brutality on the city’s streets.
“They are looting properties, looting shopping malls and attacking ATM machines,” Adejobi said.
Scores of rioters broke into a warehouse and stole food.
Gunfire was heard in several parts of Lagos.
By the afternoon, eight people with bullet wounds had been taken to Ikeja General Hospital, said a medic who spoke on condition of anonymity.
In other parts of the sprawling city of 14 million, the streets were empty and shops were shut, as residents largely obeyed a government curfew meant to curb the chaos.
Protesters active on social media disavowed the violence, saying their demonstrations had been hijacked by criminals.
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And now it’s time for change and to trust women by voting yes
@Barry Somers: Yes. We are all captains of our own ship.
@Martin Ryan: ships’ captains are responsible for the lives of all on board!
@John Campbell: by choice not force.
seamen………
@Barry Somers: it’s too open , once the 8th is gone a future government could relax abortion legislation similar to the UK I’m voting No !
@Alchemy: They could also make it stricter.
@John Campbell: indeed.However if the passenger is a threat to the ship then the captain has the last say.
I can’t wait till it’s all over. Peace and quiet. I will feel free in walking the streets of my city without being harassed
@Michael Collins: until you walk into a poster not taken down.
It’s good to see the youth vote a lot of them have lost confidence with everything going on in the Country so by not voting you cannot solve anything.
@Donal Carey: It is ironic that they are throwing away any influence in future on this life and death issue by a ‘yes’ vote so they are only solving the Government’s problem of being saddled with the electorate and any checks and balances needed such as the 12 week/no reason component of the Oireachtas report.
@Gkell1: There’s no such thing as 12 week/no reason. There’s always a reason. It may not be good enough for you but it doesn’t have to be.
@Slim Shady:
“2.40. The Committee recommends that the law should be amended to permit termination of pregnancy with no restriction as to reason provided that it is availed of through a GP-led service delivered in a clinical context as determined by law and licencing practice in Ireland with a gestational limit of 12 weeks.”
@Gkell1: No restrictions is not no reason. It means no specified reasons. No woman has ever had an abortion for “no reason”. You know this of course.
@Gkell1: who said they were all voting yes
@Gkell1: a Yes vote passes decisions to the Oireachtas, the formation of which citizens can influence through general elections. Should a Yes vote pass, then in future, a government that campaigned on an anti-choice platform will be able to reverse any legislation that doesn’t align with their (and their supporters) anti-choice ideology. Poland being a current example.
@Gkell1: Yeah sure. 2 + 2 = 5
Well we know of one French student in Galway who got her polling cards despite the fact she didn’t register. She reported it to the Gardai.
@Stephen Duffy: I hope
@Stephen Duffy: I hope to not have to take a pregnancy test before treatment or any radiology. I hope my country will be there for me and all other Irish and non-Irish women should we find ourselves with a contraception failure and need support to make a choice. I hope that if I become a victim of rape or ffa then I will get compassion not silence. I hope.
@Deborah Behan: is that a reply to my comment? Because if it was you lost me completely..!!!
I haven’t received my polling card yet….I’m not a new voter
@Anne: I changed address months ago before “the big rush” yet Louth county council and south Dublin county council seem to be able to mess things up between them. Still got my polling card in Louth yet contacted south Dublin twice and they said it’s all good. That’s the civil service admin rights there!
@Anne: neither have I, I’m sure the postmen will be busy in the next couple of days, and if you don’t receive your card, just bring ID to the polling station
@Anne: photo id will suffice at polling station.
@Anne: if you don’t receive it you can still attend to vote once you have ID with you.
@Darren Sheils: thanks…no change of address either…thanks everyone for letting me know about the ID…I dont want to miss this one!
@Anne: my parents didn’t receive their voting cards either even though they’ve not changed address since last referendum. I changed address since the last one and I received mine over a week ago. Both with Louth CoCo.
Registered to vote but still havent tecieved my voting card and the website still says I’m not on the register.
@Ed Magnier: Same for two of my children who registered long before closing dates. They say the same about several of their friends who also registered. I’m wondering if its a ploy to silence young voters, cant be a coincidence.
@Caroline Reddy: I never received my polling card for the last few elections but I was on the list when I went to vote wouldn’t worry or cause hype
@Ed Magnier: my name doesn’t come up in the search ring your local county council and they can check only takes a sec put your mind at ease
@Caroline Reddy: quite the conspiracy theory there
@Ed Magnier: As already stated, just phone and ask. If you don’t get polling card just bring ID (you don’t technically need the polling card). I haven’t received mine yet either. BTW if checking again online make sure you’ve no extra space after your name as it counts the space as a character, apparently, and smartphones generally add the space in automatically.
@Caroline Reddy: I’m selling some high quality tinfoil if you’re looking…
@Caroline Reddy: they will be on the supplementary register if they only recently registered. you won’t see them on the central register. when they go to vote they should just ask for the supplementary register table. they won’t receive a polling card either. similar issue with my 18 year old daughter but we rang council and they confirmed she is on the supplementary register
@Ed Magnier: Supplementary register now online so suggest you check again and follow up with local authority. I changed address and added a family member a week before the deadline and changes are appearing online. Voting cards will issue this week.
http://www.dlrcoco.ie/en/news/general-news-public-notices/supplementary-register-can-now-be-checked-online
@Helen Loughman: Thank you Helen.
In 10 year’s time you will be proud that you stoped the modern slavery against all the women’s of Ireland, if you vote yes. If you do not vote yes history will judge you like a promoter of mysoginism and prejudice. You have a chance to write history, with your vote. Chose compassion and tolerance. Vote yes. Your religious creed maybe don’t teach you tolerance for women’s, but you can chose to be different. Do what is just. Vote yes.
@c rosus: I think the opening gambit to a conversation should not be, we can destroy a life up to 12 weeks, the opening gambit should be we protect life, but we must have a better way to facilitate women who are struggling, physically or emotionally with a pregnancy. Unfortunately the blunt object of a referendum does not accommodate my own views on protection of life, or care of women. Legislators…must do better. I just think what they are proposing is not fit for service, send them home tae think again!
@Kenneth Finnerty: Look nobody is speaking in the referendum about killing children. The referendum is about to let the women’s chose for themselves what is best for them. There will be abortions? Yes there will be. The question is, at least for me: I will be there to sustain them or I will the pointing finger hypocritical yelling sin? The male society have treated womens in Ireland for to long like a commodity, something to be used or take advantage of. Now there is the possibility to repair mistakes and build bridges. Trust is better than faith. I for one I trust them, I believe in progress not in stone age. How could you chose a foetus over a living being? So for you is better let a fully grown human being die because you cannot comprehend that a foetus is still a foetus? Really? Vote yes.
@c rosus: I think your confusing where I am coming from. I am saying abortions should be allowed, but not as standard normal practice. Trust me(pardon the pun) I am not taking moral guidance from the church, you seem to think I am. I have said women should be accommodated, so your suggestion that I put a grown woman ahead of a foetus, or a 6 month old unborn child is a nonsense. Vote No, send them back to come up with something a bit more intelligent.
@c rosus:
https://www.irishtimes.com/news/ireland/irish-news/nell-mccafferty-pro-lifers-are-right-about-some-things-1.3469975
She said she recently googled what a pregnancy looks like at 12 weeks. “They [the babies] suck their wee thumbs and they have toenails, fingernails and arms and legs.”
So stop hiding behind this, its just a bunch of cells nonsense. This is Nell mccafferty talking, I respect her much more than you for having the guts to come out and say it like it is. Vote yes if you wish, but be clear about what your calling for.
Does anyone know what you do if you haven’t received a Poling card?
Got an email confirmation that I was registered and would receive a Poling card but now only get an automatic response when I try to contact the same person in Dublin City council back?
@Aimee Nagle: just bring passport/drivers license in the day
@Aimee Nagle: bring photo id to the polling station and once you are on the register you will be allowed vote.
@Diddles Daffy: great thanks
@Brendan Luke Ferron: thanks. I hope it is accepted…..As start to have a feeling of doubt as I’m not on the Register online and I did not receive a Poling card even though I got an email to confirm I would.
@Aimee Nagle: you don’t need polling card and there’s still time for it to arrive anyway. If in serious doubt then phone them
My name on the register is my maiden name and this will be my first referendum at our new address so I want to make sure I’ve the correct ID if needed. My passport is in my married name but it has my birth name on it; will this suffice as ID? The only thing I have still in my maiden name is my Garda Age Card and I don’t think that’s an acceptable form of ID.
A growing baby can suck his or her thumb as early as 12 weeks! Many expecting parents have been able to catch this moment on an ultrasound. As soon as the baby’s arms can reach her mouth, she will learn how to and be able to suck her thumb for comfort or just as a way to explore all her new developments. Some babies may even continue to suck their thumbs once they have been born and even into toddlerhood!
https://www.babygaga.com/15-mind-blowing-things-babies-can-do-in-the-womb/
You wouldnt allow a 1 week old baby to be destroyed.
The USI have a cheek to be endorsing the pro-abortion side. If they were representing all students they wouldn’t be taking a side. Half of the pro-abortion people in the student union probably wouldn’t be alive today if it wasn’t for the Eighth Amendment.
Listen what are you smoking? You’re as high as a kite, modern slavery? Your shite tbh.
You obviously have never seen modern slavery I have, take that comment down its a disgrace
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