The federal government responded to the report of the Lagos Judicial Panel of Inquiry (JPI) set up by the Lagos state government to investigate the #EndSARs protest on October 20, 2020, insisting that nothing in the document compelled it to change its position on the issue.
The government, which had long maintained that there was no evidence of the deaths of protesters demanding, among other things, an end to police brutality, the dissolution of the Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS), and harassment of young people, claimed that the report was based on “tales by moonlight” on social media.
The President Muhammadu Buhari-led administration claimed that the report was riddled with errors, inconsistencies, discrepancies, speculations, innuendoes, omissions, and conclusions that were not supported by evidence, speaking through the Minister of Information and Culture, Mr. Lai Mohammed, in Abuja.
At least 11 people were killed during the peaceful demonstration at the Lekki Tollgate, according to a report leaked last week.
The maiming and killing of unarmed, helpless, and unresisting protesters while sitting on the floor and waving their Nigerian flags and singing the National Anthem was described as “atrocious” by the report, which added that the act could be compared to a “massacre in context.”
According to the report, four others were presumed dead in addition to the 11 confirmed dead, making a total of 48 victims of the Lekki incident, which shook the country last year.
The panel also stated in the 309-page report that 24 of the 48 victims were shot, while 15 others were assaulted by soldiers and police, and specifically indicted the army and police for shooting directly at fleeing protesters who had run into the shanties and the Lagoon.
But, in Mohammed’s opinion, what was circulating in the public sphere was simply a rehash of the unverified fake news that had been circulating on social media since the incident last year.
He thought it was incredible that a judicial panel tasked with investigating an incident had submitted a report replete with allegations, the same allegations it had been tasked with investigating in the first place.
Instead of sitting for an entire year, the panel could have simply compiled social media stories about the incident and submitted them, saving taxpayers’ money and everyone’s time, according to the minister.
He maintained, “That report is nothing more than the triumph of fake news and the intimidation of a silent majority by a vociferous lynch mob.”
Mohammed claimed that the panelists threw out the testimony of ballistic experts who testified before it in what he called a “critical analysis” of the document.
According to the experts, no military grade live ammunition (high-velocity) was fired at the protesters at Lekki Tollgate on October 20, 2020, within the timeframe of reference, which was 18.30- 20.34 hours, based on the medical data examined and the nature of the injuries sustained by the “victims.”
Furthermore, the minister claimed that the panel ignored the experts’ findings that four gunshot wounds sustained between 19:05 and 19:45 hours, which were investigated by the team, were discharged by either low velocity calibre and/or artisanal/12-gauge firearms.
He noted that the panelists had been told by a team of experts that if military personnel had deliberately fired military grade live ammunition directly at the protesters, there would have been far more fatalities and catastrophic injuries.
The minister went on to say that the same panel that said it believed Prof. John Obafunwa’s testimony that only three of the bodies on which post mortems were performed were from Lekki and only one had gunshot wounds later contradicted itself by saying “nine persons” died of gunshot wounds in Lekki.
He claimed that the man whose testimony that he counted 11 bodies in a military van before fleeing was said to be crucial by the panel never testified in person.
“Rather, someone else played the video of his ‘testimony.'” The panel did not question the credibility of a man who claimed to have been shot and presumed dead but still had time to count dead bodies inside a supposedly dark van at night.
“The panel stated that trucks with brushes underneath were brought to the Lekki Tollgate in the morning of October 21, 2020, to clean up bloodstains and other evidence, but that when it returned on October 30, 2020, it found bullet casings at the same location.”
“It claimed that soldiers picked up bullet casings from Lekki Tollgate on the night of October 20, 2020, but that policemen came to the same spot on October 21, 2020 to pick up the same bullet casings!”
“The panel remained silent on the relatives of those who were allegedly killed, implying only that they were afraid to testify.” Even goats, let alone humans, have owners who will look for them if they do not return home.
“Where are the relatives of those allegedly killed at the Lekki Tollgate?” What are the families’ names and addresses if the panel recommends compensation for them? When no family members have shown up, who will receive the compensation?
“How did a man who claimed to have seen his brother’s lifeless body end up on the panel’s list of deceased people?” How can a judicial panel persuade anyone that the names of some Lekki Tollgate victims listed as numbers 3 (Jide), 42 (Tola), and 43 (Wisdom) are not made up?
“Why did the judicial panel feel compelled to invent a euphemism for massacre called’massacre in context?'” An act of genocide is an act of genocide. “What does massacre mean in this context?” he inquired.
He claims that the report never mentioned cases of police officers being brutally murdered or the widespread destruction of police stations, vehicles, and other property during the EndSARS protest, implying that the panel may not have considered police officers and women to be human beings.
Furthermore, the minister stated that the report “was too busy looking for evidence to support its conclusion of’massacre in context” to make any recommendations on the innocent people whose businesses were attacked and destroyed during the protest in Lagos.
“It is clear, based on the ongoing, that the panel’s report in circulation cannot be trusted because its authenticity is questioned.” Furthermore, as the convening authority, the Lagos State Government has yet to release any official report to the public. The panel hasn’t done so either.
“Leaking an unsigned report to the public in a cowardly manner is insufficient. Assuming that the report in circulation is genuine, it is common knowledge that the report of such a panel has no legal standing until the convening authority issues a White Paper and publishes it in the Gazette.
“It is thus premature for any person or entity to seek to condemn the federal government, its agencies, or officials based on such an unofficial and ‘unvalidated’ report,” he opined.
The minister also chastised CNN for what he claimed was its celebration of the leaked report, claiming that in its haste to claim vindication, CNN didn’t read the report before breaking out the drums.
“By doing so, CNN has prematurely celebrated and has now committed a double blunder: first, by relying on unverified social media stories and videos to conduct an investigation into the October 20th 2020 incident in Lekki, where it had no correspondent on the ground.
“CNN made a mistake in its report on the panel’s findings, which fell short of basic journalistic standards. Second, CNN went live to celebrate an unsigned and unverified report full of inconsistencies, errors, discrepancies, and innuendoes. “That’s a double blunder by a news organization eager to compromise standards just to claim vindication,” he stressed.
“There is absolutely nothing in the report that is circulating that makes us change our position that there was no massacre at Lekki on October 20, 2020,” the minister continued. To change our minds, we need to produce and present to the public a thorough investigation of the incident that meets all required standards and can withstand scrutiny.
“The currently circulated report fails to meet those requirements. We also want to hear from the families of those who were allegedly killed in Lekki. It’s impossible to believe that some families have remained silent because they are afraid. Any parent who is afraid to testify about his or her child’s death is unworthy of the title of parent.
“We deny that our soldiers and police officers massacred innocent Nigerians on October 20, 2020 in Lekki. The weight of the evidence does not support that conclusion. Murder indictment is a serious matter that cannot be handled solely on the basis of allegations and corroborating evidence, as the panel did.
“Allegations of this nature must be proven beyond a reasonable doubt.” The current report is designed to embarrass the federal government and its agencies in the absence of foolproof evidence.”
According to Mohammed, the federal government has never condoned the abuse of Nigerians’ rights by security agencies under any guise, which is why SARS was disbanded and states were encouraged to set up panels to investigate reports of human rights abuses allegedly committed by the disbanded personnel.
“The 37 police officers and six soldiers killed during the EndSARS protests across the country are also Nigerians who should not be forgotten.”
“Those who have prematurely celebrated the report in circulation should now read it carefully and tell Nigerians whether it can pass any test.”
