Demonstrators in Nigeria closed Lagos, Africa's largest city, and were attacked with tear gas in the capital, Abuja

Decision to use military force to contain protests drives policy in West Africa's most populous country 

LAGOS, Nigeria - Several people were killed when Nigerian soldiers opened fire on a major protest site in Lagos, witnesses said, as the government tried to close two weeks of marches against police brutality that turned into wider national demonstrations.

Three witnesses, gathered among hundreds of demonstrators at the Lekki tollbooth in Lagos, said the trucks arrived shortly after nightfall and soldiers began firing tear gas and then shooting into the crowd. It was not clear how many people were killed, but each of the witnesses said they saw several bodies on the road. Videos posted on social networks showed demonstrators shouting around bloody corpses, visible through a yellow mist of tear gas.

Source: The Wall Street Journal