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  • #EndSARS: Army pulls out of Lagos panel investigating Lekki shooting after Reddington Hospital testimony

    #EndSARS: Army pulls out of Lagos panel investigating Lekki shooting after Reddington Hospital testimony

    The Nigerian Army has disbanded its legal team and also pulled out of investigative hearing of the Lagos State Judicial Panel investigating the shooting of #EndSARS protesters at Lekki Tollgate on October 20, 2020.

    Making the announcement on Saturday January 30 after more evidences backed claims of Nigerian soldiers shooting peaceful protesters at the tollgate, a member of the army counsel, S.N. Agwhe notified the Panel of Akinlolu Kehinde, head of the army legal team submitting a memo about the disbandment.

    Agwhe had appeared before the panel on behalf of the army legal team, but revealed that the job of the army counsel finished on November 21.

    “We do not have any further mandate to represent the army in any subsequent proceedings,” Agwhe said.

    He reminded the panel that the head of the army legal team Akinlolu Kehinde had earlier submitted a memo notifying the panel of the decision.

    The last hearing on January 23 was the third time in a row that the army and its counsel failed to appear before the panel.

    The panel chairman Doris Okuwobi, a retired judge, however, warned that the army would not claim denial of fair hearing when the panel submits its findings to the government.

    The army’s withdrawal from the panel follows the testimony by Reddington Hospital that it treated victims from the #EndSARS protest with bullet wounds on October 20, 21, and 22.

    Petitioners had alleged that soldiers opened fire at peaceful protesters, killing and injuring several protesters.

    Meanwhile, the army had reluctantly admitted being at the scene of the Lekki shooting after initial denials.

    The army however claims that officers were sent out to enforce a curfew that was imposed by the Lagos State Government but did not open fire on protesters.

  • Lekki Shooting: We Treated Many Protesters With Gunshot Wounds At Reddington Hospital — Doctor

    Lekki Shooting: We Treated Many Protesters With Gunshot Wounds At Reddington Hospital — Doctor

    Months after Lekki tollgate massacre, Babajide Lawson, a doctor at Reddington hospital has revealed the number of patients shot or injured at the toll gate shooting, who were brought to the hospital, saying that they were so many that they overwhelmed the facilities.

    On the night of 20 October 2020, at about 6:50 pm, operatives of the Nigerian army opened fire on peaceful #EndSARS protesters at the toll gate, killing an unconfirmed number of people.

    The incident triggered outrage within and outside the country.

    Despite evidence of people being killed and injured at the Lekki incident, the army had maintained that blank bullets were used to disperse the protesters.

    Lawson, a trauma and orthopaedic surgeon, while testifying before a Judicial Panel of Inquiry investigating the incident said many gunshot victims were brought to the Lekki and Victoria Island branches of the hospital on October 20, 21, and 22.

    While being cross-examined by Olumide Fusika and Adesina Ogunlana, the two lawyers representing #EndSARS victims, Lawson said due to the crowd, there is a likelihood that the hospital did not capture the records of all the patients.

    Fusika had asked, “Go through the medical reports and confirm if it’s from Reddington and whether they are people you know.”

    In his response, the surgeon said, “Yes, it’s our medical report. I don’t know them personally but I know them as patients that I treated. Being in charge of trauma means that anybody involved in traumatic injuries such as accident and gunshots must go through me in both of our locations.

    “On that 20th, many of the patients were treated at the Lekki office. Later on the night of 20th, I also went to the Lekki office to assess the level of assistance needed in my capacity and I also spoke with the MD of that branch. That night, I transferred a patient to the VI office, which is our headquarters where I work from and where he stayed till the 23rd.

    “On the first night, there are about six patients that I saw that night, but as the day goes by, other patients came in.”

    The lawyer further asked whether the hospital extracted pellets from the patients as there were many cases of gunshots, especially in the case of one Nnaji Mabel who had a pellet in her abdomen.

    “As indicated in the report, we did not extract the pellet. I admitted the responsibility; we reviewed her CT and records. She was treated and allowed to go,” the surgeon responded.

    “It’s normal to have pellets in your body and just go home?” Fusika further queried.

    “Yes, it is possible. If there is a gunshot injury and the bullet does not in any way endanger the body, the pellet can remain,” Lawson said.

    The surgeon said some pellets were removed, but the police will be invited and the pellets handed over to them according to medical protocols.

    He added that other patients sustained “entry” and “exit” bullet wounds. “The protocol is that if there are gunshot injuries and bullet extracted, the police will have to come, and the bullet will be handed over to them. For the patients I treated, I did not extract any bullet; the patient that had pellet did not require removal,” he said.

     

  • LCC MD reveals why he did not visit toll plaza after Lekki shooting

    LCC MD reveals why he did not visit toll plaza after Lekki shooting

    The managing director of Lekki Concession Company (LCC), Abayomi Omomuwasan has stated that he was not curious to know the extent of damage at the Lekki toll plaza after the October 20 incident for security reasons.

    Recall that soldiers had invaded the Lekki tollgate on October 20 during the #EndSARS demonstrations and opened fire, in what appeared to be an attempt to disperse the protesters.

    The invasion of soldiers led to the destruction of properties in the area as well as other parts of Lagos by suspected hoodlums.

    The LCC managing director while speaking on Friday while appearing before the Lagos judicial panel said for security reasons, he had to restrict his movement.

    He stated this while being cross-examined by Olumide Fusika, a senior advocate of Nigeria (SAN) and counsel to #EndSARS protesters.

    “From the moment we were blackmailed on the social media, I tried to restrict my movement for security reasons. For security reasons, from October 11, 2020, I didn’t go out,” he said.

    When asked by Fusika if the #EndSARS protest was violent such that LCC staff were attacked, and if that would warrant Omomuwasan to restrict his movement, the MD said he could not give a ‘yes’ or ‘no’ answer.

    “To the best of my knowledge, none of our staff was assaulted. On October 20, when I sent out a memo to all staff to obey the curfew, they were not allowed to be around the Lekki area,” the LCC MD said.

    “I wouldn’t know if the protest was violent or peaceful, but the situation wasn’t too friendly to our staff.

    “This is our toll area where we take cash and other materials that are sensitive. So, when we see people moving around and entering the booth, of course we have to see that as a security threat.

    “I don’t have the capacity to determine whether the protest was peaceful or not peaceful. I cannot make comment on it, because I’m aware the protest was not against LCC.”

    Fusika asked: “As MD, so you didn’t care. You mean you’re not curious to know the damage done to your property or the ‘arson’ committed around that area? You wouldn’t know the condition of the place on the morning of October 21st?”

    Omomuwasan, in his response, said he was given a directive not to go to the toll plaza at the time.

    “The first time I went there after the incident was the day I came here (venue of the panel sitting) and we went together. Yes, I didn’t go there before then. I was aware of the insecurity around the place,” he said.

    “I never had the opportunity to… even if I had wanted to, there was no way I could go out except I’m told to go out by the security operatives. I can’t go there except I’m directed to go. I was told not to go there.”

    “I’m conscious of my security. As at 21st, the situation was tense. I felt insecure. You want me to go out, sir? In all, it’s my life first, it’s safety of life first.”

    There was some drama as Omomuwasan expressed concern about Fusika’s line of questioning on if LCC’s contract staff were instructed to clean the plaza the day after the shooting incident.

    The LCC MD said he could vouch that the cleaning of the toll plaza was not done by the company’s contract staff.

    “You seem to be intimidating me, sir. You seek to get facts from me and you want me to tell you only what you want to hear. I told you we were blackmailed as having a hand in the incident and all that and all that,” Omomuwasan said.

    “We care about our people; not only the staff, but including our contractors. After we told our staff to stay away, none of my contractors went there. My staff went back to the road of recent.”

    The case case was adjourned till January 5, 2020, for further hearing and judgement.

    The judge also denied LCC its plea to resume work at the tollgate till forensic examination of the plaza is conducted as requested by Adesina Ogunlana, another counsel to the #EndSARS protesters.

  • Ibrahim Taiwo, officer representing army at Lagos judicial panel, promoted to major-general

    Ibrahim Taiwo, officer representing army at Lagos judicial panel, promoted to major-general

    According to reports, Ibrahim Taiwo, the officer representing the Nigerian army at the panel the Lagos state government set up to probe the Lekki shooting has been promoted from brigadier-general to a major-general.

    Soldiers had, on October 20, forcefully dispersed #EndSARS protesters at the Lekki toll gate and this led to an outcry.

    Following the protest to end police brutality, the Lagos government set up the panel to look into allegations of rights abuses by the police special anti-robbery squad (SARS).

    But the shooting of protesters at Lekki has been on the forefront at the panel, and Taiwo, commander of the army 81 division intelligence brigade, has been the one making a defence for the soldiers’ action.

    Military sources said that Taiwo was elevated to the rank of a major-general after the military board approved the promotion of senior officers.

    There have been contradictions in the army’s submissions at the panel over the Lekki shooting.

    At first, the army denied deploying soldiers to the protest ground. It later said soldiers were sent there on the invitation of Babajide Sanwo-Olu, governor of Lagos.

    Taiwo had also argued that the soldiers didn’t have the intention to disperse the protesters but were on patrol to clear up the Lekki, Eti-Osa corridor.

    According to him, the soldiers were attacked by hoodlums, and this necessitated the use of force.

  • Lekki shooting: CNN clarifies October 23 tweet on casualty figure

    Lekki shooting: CNN clarifies October 23 tweet on casualty figure

    Cable News Network (CNN) has explained its tweet of October 23, 2020 which reported that “at least 38 people were killed” when soldiers opened fire on unarmed #EndSARS protesters in Lagos.

    Recall that Nigerians protesting against police brutality had thronged the streets in various parts of the country in October to demand a comprehensive reform of the force.

    These protests which lasted for two weeks, turned violent after it was hijacked by suspected hoodlums.

    Troops had stormed the Lekki toll gate protest ground, reportedly shooting at protesters on October 20.

    There have been conflicting reports on the actual casualties recorded on the night.

    But the American cable network had in an earlier tweet accompanying its report on the shooting claimed “at least 38 people” died during the incident.

    The media outlet, quoting Amnesty International (AI), had also claimed that at least 56 people died across the country since the protest commenced as of October 22.

    “At least 56 people have died across Nigeria since the #EndSARS protests began on October 8, with 38 killed across the country on Tuesday alone, according to human rights group Amnesty International,” it had reported.

    The tweet accompanying the story had read: “At least 38 people were killed in Nigeria on Tuesday when the military opened fire on peaceful protesters But the President failed to address the carnage during his speech on Thursday, drawing criticism from protesters who accuse him of failing to show empathy & unify the nation.”

    In a post on its Twitter page on Thursday, however, CNN said its October 23 tweet did not attribute the death toll to Amnesty International.

    It also said the tweet did not explicitly said those killed were as a result of the #EndSARS protests.

    “Clarification: This tweet from October 23 did not attribute the death toll from protests in Nigeria to Amnesty International. The tweet also did not make it clear that the death toll was for protests across the country,” it wrote.

    However, CNN, on its website, identified Amnesty International as the source of the information on the casualty figures even if it didn’t in the tweet.

    CNN’s clarification is coming amid backlash from the Nigerian government following its recent investigation into the Lekki shooting which established that one person reportedly died on the night of the incident.

    Lai Mohammed, minister of information, had earlier threatened sanction against the media outlet, describing the investigation as “irresponsible reporting”.

  • Shadows behind the #EndSARS mask

    Shadows behind the #EndSARS mask

    These days, every Nigerian has noticed the loud silence of the usually garrulous human rights lawyer, Mr. Femi Falana and his clan of minions over preachments on the propriety of the #EndSARS protests in Nigerian. Or even, the inappropriateness of Government actions on the protestors to tame the tide of the destructive violence.

    The silence has become very pronounced in the aftermath of the confusion which trailed the alleged shooting and cold-blooded murder of harmless protestors by soldiers at the Lekki toll gate. But Falana and his apostates should make themselves and Nigerians proud by further advancing their claimed authentic polemics before the probe panel.

    Initially, almost all Nigerians, including leaders in the country endorsed the exposition that #EndSARS protests was contrived and started as a genuine expression of public anger against the brutality and extra-judicial killings by members of the Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS) of the Nigerian Police Force (NPF). President Muhammadu Buhari also peripherally sensed and interpreted the grievances of the protesters as genuine and immediately commenced actions on the five-point demands forwarded to the FGN on the fifth day of the protests – October 11, 2020.

    President Buhari’s instantaneous action was his leadership responsiveness and solidarity with the protesters to assuage the anger and pains of the Nigerian youths in order to halt the protests. But quite unacceptably and thoughtlessly, the #EndSARS protestors were satanically influenced and misguided by the Presidential quick reaction to task their conscience to stop the protests.

    The protests now shifted to demands to #EndBadGovernance. Thereafter, the actions of the #EndSARS protesters also changed. It unreasonably mutated from peaceful democratic demonstrations to awesome violence, killings and destructions of public/private properties in some states in Nigeria.

    Unfortunately, something betrayed the concealed anti-democratic motives or did some disservice to the demonstrators and exposed the planned evil agenda against Nigerians and the Government. It was the protestors sudden and unwise resort to violence; the gruesome murder of security agents and innocent civilians as well as appalling destructions, looting and arsons in parts of the country. National security was on the precarious verge of being compromised and the Government had the lawful obligation to immediately restore public safety and security.

    Again, and expectedly ironic, the discovery of some masked powerful forces within and outside Nigeria, which secretly plotted to use the banner of the #EndSARS protests to pursue interests alien to the originality of the mission of the remonstrators was a serious setback. The design was smartly crafted to destabilize Nigeria, cause widespread anarchy, which magnitude would springboard the undemocratic dethronement of President Buhari. So, the incensed aggressors pushed the agenda of unabated insecurity, bloodbath and destructions aggressively even when Nigeria was sliding into complete anarchy before their very eyes.

    These voices of dissent resonated on pulpits, within human rights circles, the opposition camps, disenchanted tribal groups, some media houses and foreign elements, disgruntled political merchants and in civilian coup plotters. While these groups relished and regaled in the bloodbath and destructions, they stoutly opposed Government’s intervention to restore public security sanity and consistently sermonized false narratives to the outside world claiming the #EndSARS protests were peaceful.

    It gingered President Buhari to impose security sanity to bring the escalating and degenerating violence under control. Nigeria is a democratic state and the rule of law is supreme. Under President Buhari, the sanctity of the rule of law is paramount in all official affairs and dealings. The loud noises attracted by the Lekki incident compelled Lagos State Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu to institute a Judicial Commission of Inquiry to unravel the mystery behind the impasse between protesters and the Nigerian Army over the alleged firing of live bullets at a protesting mob.

    The #EndSARS protesters, sponsors, campaigners, promoters and claimed victims of the “massacre,” at Lekki gate are expected to channel their legitimate claims and grievances to the probe panel for interrogation. The probe panel has been sitting for over three weeks now. But shockingly, the leading campaigners or advocates of #EndSARS and those who shouted acerbically everywhere about gruesome murder at Lekki gate are hesitant to present their cases at probe panel.

    Ludicrously, Nigerians who nicknamed President Buhari, a “civilian dictator,” and cursed the Nigerian Army over allegations of mowing down unarmed protesters now dread the premises of the probe panel to present their cases and also shed light on what transpired at Lekki. Those who threatened to drag the Buhari Presidency and the COAS, Lt. Gen. TY Buratai to the ICC over human rights violations of the protesters, like Femi Falana are afraid to make presentations at the probe panel.

    The band of idle lawyers who sued the Buhari Presidency and the Nigerian Army over the Lekki shootings are scared to approach the probe panel. The undertaker mourners, the families of the alleged slain civilians at Lekki and the Civil Society Organizations (CSOs) who unanimously claimed an undemocratic clampdown on peaceful demonstrators at Lekki are now more comfortable in their private tents, than make submissions at the probe panel.

    But the #EndSARS protestors, the sponsors, sympathizers, promoters, and campaigners dribbled Nigeria terribly through a dummy. Truly, at the surface of #EndSARS protests appears to be mere expression of anger and pains by some Nigerian youths who have long been abandoned and neglected. Therefore, by democratic rights, they were seeking the attention of Government to their plight for possible intervention and redress. It was permissible and decent enough!

    Nonetheless, unknown to many, behind the seeming innocent faces of aggrieved youths, were piles of oblique interests, who were out to pursue disparate interests or agenda on the podium of #EndSARS. Under the auspices of #EndSARS and through the instrument of democratic protests, the subversive forces plotted a civilian coup that was meant to reduce Nigeria into debris and undemocratically enthrone surrogate leaders at all levels.

    #EndSARS protests, offered a veritable platform for these sabs to exercise the harboured evil agenda on Nigeria. They desperately sought to unseat President Buhari through the backdoor and by crude means. So, expectedly, when the #EndSARS protests sprouted, they shouted hallelujah in their secret camps of darkness in celebration of victory ahead of the attack on Nigeria.

    It was an anticipated opportunity for “crisis-prenuers” and crisis merchants to sell their wares. Unmistakably, on the foreign plank, it was the long-awaited golden opportunity that Amnesty International (AI), the other foreign conspirators and internal disgruntled political elements, which they excitedly utilized to cripple the country. Therefore, these combinations of overt and unground forces against the country, scrambled ravenously on who amongst them would deliver on Nigeria, the heaviest and dazzling blow of crisis and destabilization.

    For them, it was time to burn down Rome to the admiration of her enemies. But God Almighty prevented it. He alone frustrated the unjustified plans and plots of the enemy forces against the country and Nigerians. It is now the break of dawn, and the losses are being counted.

    And surely, the subversive elements behind the condemned #EndSARS protests are exposing themselves everyday by their actions and dispositions in the aftermath of the carnages and bloodshed. But to discerning Nigerians, those behind the hateful, resentful and discredited violent protests are already unmasked now even in their thick masks.

    They are those who urged the intensity of conflagrations or arsons on Nigeria; they are those who fabricated imaginary shootings and killing of protesters at Lekki; they are those who sponsored the demonstrators, some of whom provided cash backing in millions of naira, food and medical supplies; they are the saboteurs who concocted lies, photoshopped pictures of fake news and circulated on social media, and later, contracted CNN to amplify the fake scripts; and they are the Nigerians, who threatened President Buhari and the Nigerian Army with ICC, but have shied away effeminately from making submissions at the Lagos State probe panel, an indispensable preliminary step.

    And the evidence and signposts are everywhere today. They have held captives of their own conscience. They are the IPOB leaders/members; they are the foreign elements; disgruntled political merchants and civilian coup plotters. All are the haters of Nigeria’s democracy; but wished to be given a democratic platform to govern Nigeria. Time resolves all mystery and this deliberately contrived and dispensed demoniac punching of Nigeria would also pass away; whilst the dramatis personae would be left standing alone, nude in the darkness of day, deserted and despised by rational Nigerians.

    Ibekwe is a public affairs analyst and wrote from Enugu.

  • Lekki Shooting: CNN carried out a hatchet job on the Army — IIIJ

    Lekki Shooting: CNN carried out a hatchet job on the Army — IIIJ

    The report by Cable News Network (CNN) on the shooting at the Lekki toll gate in Lagos was a “poor” hatchet job targeted at the Nigerian Army, the International Institute for Investigative Journalism (c) has said.

    In an electronic statement signed by special rapporteur, Francois Deburoiche, on Wednesday, the IIIJ said it came to this conclusion following a careful investigation on the events that led to the escalation of violence at the toll gate.

    After forensic analysis of CNN’s report, the International Institute for Investigative Journalism noted that there were some missing details in the American television channel’s piece.

    According to the institute, the report was carried out in poor taste, lacking professionalism and objectivity.

    It added that the claim of use of live bullets and testimonies of victims were all tales.

    The institute, however, advised the television channel to retract and admit error in the documentary.

    Read the full statement below:

    The International Institute for Investigative Journalism is issuing this press statement with the best of intents after a careful investigation on the events that led to the escalation of violence at the Lekki Tollgate in Lagos Nigeria during the EndSARS protest.

    A team of investigative journalists with extensive experience in conflict situation interrogated the various claims made by the American Cable News Network in its report on the Lekki Shootings and came up with a comprehensive analysis that found gaps that were not filled in the CNN documentation of the events at the Lekki Tollgate in Lagos Nigeria.

    Our statement:

    The CNN documentary on the EndSARS protest in Nigeria was released to the general public with lots of inaccuracies. These accuracies were detected after an extensive forensic investigation by the International Institute for Investigative Journalism.

    It is thus our opinion that the report was carried out in the poor taste, lacking in professionalism and objectivity. This is a great betrayal on journalism by the CNN, which indeed violated the known tenets of journalism.

    The videos and images used in the CNN report were not subjected to adequate scrutiny. Consequently, it lacked credibility for use by an organization of repute such as the CNN. This fact was also buttressed by the fact that the CNN report was very hasty in its conclusion by indicting the Nigerian Army of culpability in the events at the Lekki Tollgate.

    Our position remains that the CNN erred substantially in its report that was highly misleading to the general public in Nigeria and other parts of the world. The documentary also failed woefully to highlight the events that led to the reign of violence in parts of Lagos state but instead rehashed the issues under different subheadings with minimal evidence that indicts the Nigerian Army of wrongdoing at the Lekki Tollgate.

    The International Institute for Investigative Journalism concludes that the CNN documentary was prejudiced in its analysis as well as presentation which fall nothing short of a poor hatchet job with the undeniable intent to discredit the Nigerian Army operation at the Lekki Tollgate in Lagos Nigeria.

    The analysis by CNN in the documentary was hasty in its categorization with regards to the use of live bullets by soldiers at the Lekki Tollgate. The report attempted to portray the use of excessive force by soldiers, while the accompanying videos and images did not depict such.

    The credibility of those interviewed in the documentary was also suspect with the choice of words and the facial and body expressions of the victims as well as their relatives. Thus much was revealed by forensic analysis as the emotions portrayed didn’t match their words.

    Conclusion:

    The International Institute for Investigative Journalism is of the considered opinion that the CNN carried out a hatchet job that is targeted at the Nigerian Army institution. We as a result of this classify the CNN documentary as highly misleading and with the capacity to cause disquiet in Nigeria.

    The CNN must retract and admit error in submission in its documentary on the Lekki Tollgate shootings.

    The International Institute for Investigative Journalism faults the CNN documentary in all ramifications.

  • DJ switch blasts Lai Mohammed, wonders how a minister of information can be misinformed

    DJ switch blasts Lai Mohammed, wonders how a minister of information can be misinformed

    The minister of information and culture, Lai Mohammed has been blasted by DJ switch over the numerous claims he has come out to make concerning her and the October 20 shooting at the Lekki tollgate.

    Recall that the information minister, Lai Mohammed last week had a press conference where he attacked CNN over the documentary they released concerning the shooting incident.

    Despite the CNN’s report and position that the soldiers fired live ammunition at the #EndSARS protesters, Lai Mohammed said the Federal government believes the account of the Nigerian Army that they shot blank bullets and not live ammunition at the protesters.

    Mohammed at the press conference also called DJ Switch a fraud and also asked who was ”sponsoring her”.

    Reacting to his comments via her Twitter handle, DJ Switch wrote

    ”How can a “minister of information” be so “misinformed”?The only believable thing about him, is his name…Lai Unfortunately sir,the truth is a very stubborn thing! Tnk u all 4 ur well wishes & prayers.Its nt bn easy 4 me bt d need 2 #SoroSoke is more important than their bullying”

  • LCC’s footage of Lekki shooting confirms the timelines in our report, says CNN

    LCC’s footage of Lekki shooting confirms the timelines in our report, says CNN

    A closed-circuit TV footage from Lekki tollgate has been analysed by the CNN to validate its investigation on military attack on #EndSARS protesters.

    Recall that CNN published an investigation last week, alleging that the Nigerian army used live bullets on protesters during its intervention in the #EndSARS protest at Lekki tollgate in Lagos state.

    CNN said a forensic probe of the bullet casings recovered from the scene of the incident revealed that live bullets were fired at the protesters.

    The CNN in a follow-up report which was released on Tuesday said it obtained the CCTV footage of the October 20 incident submitted by the Lekki Concession Company (LCC) ahead of the judicial panel sitting.

    The panel headed by Doris Okuwobi, a retired judge, was established to investigate cases of brutality by members of the disbanded special anti-robbery squad (SARS) and other police abuses.

    The LCC had said the cameras at the tollgate stopped working from 8pm on October 20.

    In its analysis, media organisation said the footage reviewed at the panel sitting corroborated the timings it reported for the gunshots fired by soldiers but that it did not capture everything that happened.

    “The footage corroborates the timings CNN reported for the gunshots fired by the army. It also shows soldiers approaching protesters and firing shots. What is perhaps most notable is what’s missing,” it said.

    “At 6:47 p.m., the moment when CNN has video of the army appearing to fire directly at protesters, the surveillance camera pans away from the area.

    “The surveillance camera pans left and tilts up before reframing and struggling for focus. It is unclear if the camera pans away deliberately or whether the pan away is a poor choice by the CCTV operator.”

    In its report, CNN quoted Ahmed Taiwo, commander of 81 division, army military intelligence brigade, as admitting that soldiers carried live ammunition to the protest ground.

    “For the protection of the force, we carried live bullets in case they were attacked. But the soldiers who formed the firing team, who fired as you could see in the video […] carried magazines charged with blank ammunition,” he said.

    The Nigerian government had tagged the CNN investigation as fake news, threatening to sanction the broadcaster for “irresponsible reporting”.

    The minister of information, Lai Mohammed in a letter addressed to Jonathan Hawkins on Monday said the report “did not just fall short of journalistic standards but reinforces the disinformation that is going around on the issue”.

    He said CNN failed to present a balanced reportage but rather relied “heavily on manipulated social media videos” adding that the inciting report is capable of setting the country on fire.

  • Lekki shooting: #EndSARS lawyer insists that Sanwo-Olu must appear before panel

    Lekki shooting: #EndSARS lawyer insists that Sanwo-Olu must appear before panel

    An #EndSARS lawyer, Mr Adesina Ogunlana on Saturday disclosed that Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu will have to appear before the Judicial Panel of Inquiry probing the shooting which occurred at Lekki tollgate on October 20.

    Recall that the Commander of 81 Military Intelligence Brigade, Victoria Island, Lagos, Brigadier General Ahmed Taiwo alleged that soldiers were deployed after Governor Sanwo-Olu reached out to them.

    Ogunlana stated that it will be important for the governor to appear before the panel particularly to demonstrate his professed belief in the rule of law.

    When asked if the appearance of the governor was important to the case of his clients and whether he would be pushing for the governor’s appearance before the panel, Ogunlana told Punch;

    “Of course, that is taken. That person (Sanwo-Olu) will have to come; he’s a factor and he will come. He says he believes in the rule of law, his Attorney General, Mr Moyosore Onigbanjo (SAN), has come to appear before that panel to just make a short speech and to affirm that the Lagos State Government is indeed committed to unraveling the truth about what happened at Lekki on that day; and the military has mentioned him, so, he is a factor.”