Fiwagboye Of Lagos, Rio Ferdinand Points Out 'Worrying Part' Of Nigeria Crisis

Former Manchester United captain Rio Ferdinand says the "worrying part" of the current unrest occurring in some parts of Nigeria "is that this is not the first nor will it be the last of this type of thing to happen".

Ferdinand, on Thursday, took to his verified Facebook page to call on Governments from all around the world to "play your part in raising awareness to wake the powers that be into stepping in and helping".

Even though the international community is expressing concern about the situation in Nigeria, President Muhammadu Buhari in a televised broadcast to his countrypeople on Thursday asked foreign observers to "know all the facts" before they take any position or make "hasty pronouncements".

AllNews reports that Englishman Ferdinand, 41 has been to Nigeria at least three times.

In 2008, during a visit to Nigeria, he was made a Chief [Fiwagboye] in Lagos.

At that time, Ferdinand had the chance of meeting the traditional ruler of Lagos, Oba Rilwan Akiolu who bestowed on him the title of "Chief Fiwagboye".

During the ceremony at his palace in Lagos, King Akiolu told the surprised global star that Fiwagboye literally means "character maketh wealth."

"To be honest, I was a little embarrassed to be named a Chief, I'm not sure I'm worthy but it is something to be proud of really," Ferdinand had said.

"Nigeria," Ferdinand wrote on his social media page.

"Through various working partnerships, I have been fortunate to travel to many different countries. The feeling I have when I visit Nigeria has always been special to me as I’ve grown up with Nigerian culture all around me.

"Many memories from my childhood come back to me and one of the main things is SMILING.

"Today that is not the case for Nigerians, smiling is the last thing on the minds of the Nigerian people.

"Governments from all around the world need to wake up and help to sort these types of things out. The worrying part is that this is not the first nor will it be the last of this type of thing to happen.

"So play your part in raising awareness to wake the powers that be into stepping in and helping!!

"Our thoughts and prayers go out to them all during these crazy and chaotic times!"

Protests escalate in Nigeria

Nigeria has witnessed approximately fourteen days of anti-police brutality protests that have left more than 50 people dead in the country.

At least 56 people have died across the country since the nationwide protests began on October 8, with about 38 killed on Tuesday alone, according to Amnesty International.

Security agents have been responsible for some deaths; a few mobs of protesters too.

In some cases, these groups of violent persons resort to the destruction of properties.

On Wednesday, in Lagos, Nigeria Ports Authority (NPA) in Apapa was burnt, TVC headquarters was set ablaze, BRT Terminal at Oyingbo was set on fire, some malls at Lekki/Ajah axis were looted by hoodlums.

On Thursday, there was an attempted jailbreak in Ikoyi.

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The controversial and now-defunct Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS) unit has been the target of protests since 2017, but protesters say this latest wave is different than what came before.

They demand wider police reforms and better governance, which is acceptable, considering Nigeria is a democratic society.