A mob has set fire to the headquarters of Television Continental in Lagos, Nigeria. The apparent arson attack came amid bloody anti-police protests, which saw security forces reportedly gun down droves of protesters.
As TVC’s ‘Your View’ aired on Wednesday morning, host Morayo Afolabi-Brown was interrupted by the sound of shouting in the studio. “I think you should just find a way to take cover,” she told her guest, as another voice chimed in: “They’re already at the gates.”
“They’re already at the gates”The moment programming on Lagos-based news channel TVC was suspended. pic.twitter.com/EkgYjCdls8
The broadcast cut out, and shortly afterwards, the station was on fire. Videos shared to social media showed the building engulfed in flames and smoke, as several cars parked outside burned.
TVC which is one of Tinubu’s favorite company is currently on fire ??. BUHARI and TINUBU please do the right thing, you can NEVER EVER win the MASSES. pic.twitter.com/53X6Yn8b9h#Lekkitollgate#StopNigeriaGovernment#LekkiGenocide#LekkiMassacre#BlackTuesdayNigeria#EndSars
“Every car has been burned down,” TVC presenter Tope Mark-Odigie said in a video of the blaze. “They’re burning everything.”
The TVC studio in Ikosi-Ketu, Lagos has been burnt to the ground, including cars of YourView hosts —Morayo Afolabi Brown and Tope Mark-Odigie. #EndSARS ? @tmospeakspic.twitter.com/XD4tUMjVM6
TVC news in Lagos has been attacked…. pic.twitter.com/LE6AGWtRhL
Channels TV, another Lagos-based broadcaster, announced on Wednesday afternoon that it had halted transmission due to an “imminent attack on our staff and operations.”
The perpetrators of the attack are still unknown. However, Lagos has been consumed by violent protests against the Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS), a police unit accused of corruption, kidnapping, and extortion. SARS was disbanded earlier this month, but demonstrators are still in the streets calling for additional police reforms.
These protests have often spilled over into violence. After a police station was set alight, Lagos State Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu introduced a 24-hour curfew on Tuesday. Any peace was soon shattered when security forces opened fire on protesters on Tuesday night, reportedly killing as many as 12 people, and wounding dozens.
Sanwo-Olu denied that neither his police force nor the Nigerian troops involved had killed anyone. Still, he told reporters on Wednesday that he would ask President Muhammadu Buhari to investigate the conduct of his soldiers.
As smoke billowed from the TVC station, the headquarters of the Nigerian Ports Authority was also seen burning on Wednesday. According to Sanwo-Olu, several cases of arson and property destruction were reported throughout the morning.
#LekkiMassacre : Nigerian Ports Authority, NPA headquarters in Marina, Lagos on fire. #MoodOfTheNationpic.twitter.com/6RkNL3FKsQ
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