A team of anti-riot police brutally attacked a peaceful protest by students of Nigerian polytechnics in Lagos earlier today.
The police tear-gassed and assaulted the protesters, and arrested more than 100 students and reporters, including Segun Olawoye, a citizen reporter affiliated with SaharaTV. The arrested students accused the police of also using tear gas on them after they were herded into prison vehicles known as Black Maria.
The protesting polytechnic students said they wanted to draw attention to their plight as they have been out of school for close to nine months owing to a general strike by their lecturers. The protesters accused the Goodluck Jonathan administration of triggering the strike by refusing to honor a 2009 agreement with polytechnic teachers across Nigeria.
