UPDATED: Lekki Shooting: Nigerian Army, Accused Of Shooting Protesters, Justifies Call On Soldiers At Judicial Panel
PhotoCredit:LagosJudicialPanel
The Lagos State Judicial Panel on Restitution for Victims of SARS Related Abuses and Other Matters, on Saturday, heard the response of the Nigerian Army regarding the October 20 incident at the Lekki Toll Gate.
The Commander of 81 Military Intelligence Brigade, Victoria Island, Lagos, Brig. Gen. Ahmed Taiwo, explained to the panel that it was invited by the Lagos State Governor, Babajide Sanwo-Olu, to restore order following the violent turnout that trailed the EndSARS protests in the state.
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“These scenes are reminiscent of the Liberian Civil War when the fighters believed that once they consume human body parts, they would be fortified, they would be strong.
“It was these incidents that made the Governor of Lagos State ask for military intervention and in my opinion, that was the correct thing to do since the police had been overrun and policemen were fighting for their dear lives,” Taiwo said while showing footages of unsavory scenes of hoodlum activities.
Recall that Governor Sanwo-Olu had said that the alleged unleashing of soldiers on unarmed Lekki protesters was ordered by “forces beyond our direct control”.
But Taiwo told the panel that the Army was not happy with his claims, adding that the overwhelming situation on ground and the heightened tension, may have pushed Sanwo-Olu to deny inviting the Army.
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“I spoke with the governor and said the Army was unhappy that he said he did not ask for Army’s intervention but I am sure that after you watched everything (video footages), you saw he had more than enough grounds to ask for Army’s intervention; perhaps it was the way everything went,” he said.
THE WHISTLER earlier reported that the panel had on October 30, visited the Lekki Toll Gate for first-hand inspection of the scene and paid unscheduled visit to the Military Hospital in Ikoyi for intelligence gathering.
Meanwhile, International bodies had called for thorough probe of the alleged shooting at Lekki.
Recall that Nigerians had protested against brutality by some officials of the disbanded Special Anti-Robbery Squad of the Nigeria Police.
This led the federal government to scrap the unit while directing state governors to establish a panel of inquiry that would look into issues associated with human rights violations by security personnels.
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Hearing continues at the panel.
