Former Labour Party leader Brendan Howlin has demanded peaceful protesters in Nigeria are protected as huge 'End SARS' protests highlight atrocities carried out by police in the country.
Howlin called on Simon Coveney, Minister for Foreign Affairs, to meet with the Nigerian Ambassador Dr. Uzoma Emenike and push for the protection of anti police brutality protesters.
The movement pushing to bring an end to a Nigerian Police unit with a history of abuse, the Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS), has put a global spotlight on the African nation.
And Howlin said Ireland should "take a stance for Human Rights" during the major protests.
He said: "What's happened in the last few days in Nigeria, Africa's most populous country, has scandalised most people in Ireland.
"We can't tolerate a situation where peaceful protesters are shot by the very people who are supposed to uphold the law.
"I think our foreign minister must summon the Nigerian Ambassador to explain what is going on and demand that peaceful protesters are allowed to carry on without fear of their lives.
"We are going to be members of the security council next year. Ireland should take a stance for Human Rights and ensure that countries where many of their citizens are already in this land are protected to the fullest degree possible."
What is happening in Nigeria?
It started with protests against a murderous police unit and has escalated into violence, brutal security clampdowns and a deathly tense period for Nigeria.
Gun-shot politics, claims of bloodied corpses littering streets and dozens of wounded protesters mark a tipping point for Nigeria.
Mass civil unrest is threatening one of the continent's successful economies if its relatively young population fails to be suppressed by the increasingly brutal authorities.
Millions are under curfew as a beleaguered government clamps down on demonstrations with martial law enforced with police and Army batons, gas and assault rifles.
This week, Nigeria's largest and most densely populated city Lagos, with its youth unemployment, was a powder-key of hatred towards the authorities, set to blow up.
Even the end of the notorious Serious Anti Robbery Squad, SARS, suspected of murder, extortion and torturing suspects has failed to stop a country teetering towards revolt.
And with the world watching Lagos burn, the youth movement – mostly 18-24 year-olds – has attracted global support.
