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Muslim faithful across the country converged for a mega rally in Lagos on Saturday, October 21, 2023, to demand justice for the suffering people of Gaza in Palestine amid ongoing bombardment by the Israeli army.
The demonstrators called for an end to the continued occupation of Gaza by the Israeli forces. The area is a tiny strip of land with over two million population, mostly Muslims.
Operating under the banner of the Conference of Islamic Organisations, the mega rally drew participants from various Muslim organisations, civil society groups, students and Islamic scholars.
Also in attendance from the human rights community was the Amnesty International (AI) Nigeria, Auwal Musa Rafsanjani.
Matching along the streets of Lagos, the protesters carried placards and banners with various inscriptions to demand an end to the killing of innocent people of Palestine.
Some of the inscriptions read, “Nigeria Unites for Palestine, Support freedom and justice for the Palestinian nation"; "Stop killing innocent women and children: From the river to the sea, Palestine would be free"; Gaza: End the Siege"; "Israel’s apartheid against Palestinians"; "A crime against humanity"; "Our freedom is not complete without the freedom."
In two weeks, over 3,000 civilians in the Gaza Strip have lost their lives as Israeli forces continue to bomb buildings in retaliation for the massacre of their citizens by members of the Palestinian militant group Hamas.
On October 7, Hamas launched an unprecedented coordinated attack in Southern Israel, killing over 1,3000 Israelis, including babies and elderly, and taking over 200 hostages.
While the Israeli army has insisted that its ongoing military campaign in Gaza will only cease after the Hamas terrorists have been wiped out, the growing number of civilian casualties and the attendant humanitarian challenges have created some concerns.
Protests have erupted in some Muslim countries, with demonstrators calling on global powers to prevail on Israel to end its military campaign and grant the people of Gaza access to humanitarian supplies.