Contrary to the position of the government military authorities that nobody was shot at the Lekki Tollgate protests over a year ago, the Lagos State Judicial Panel of Inquiry on Restitution for Victims of SARS Related Abuses and other matters has indicted the army and police for shooting unarmed protesters at the Tollgate on October 20, 2020.
In a report it submitted to the state governor, Babjide Sanwo-Olu on Monday, the Panel noted that not less than 48 protesters were either shot dead, injured with bullet wounds, or assaulted by soldiers who took over the Lekki Tollgate on that day.
The document was titled ‘Report of Lekki Incident Investigation of 20th October 2020’. It had 309 pages.
No arm of the country’s security agencies admitted shooting at the protesters, who were demonstrating what they tagged as Police brutality.
Out of the recorded 48 shooting cases, the Panel noted in its report that there were 11 confirmed dead. It said that four missing and presumed dead and that others suffered gunshot injury, severe assault among others.
The report listed out the names of the 48 identified victims and indicated the degree of injury. It categorically indicated that 11 out of the 48 were “deceased’.
“The atrocious maiming and killing of unarmed, helpless and unresisting protesters, while sitting on the floor and waving their Nigerian flags, while singing the National Anthem can be equated to a ‘massacre’ in context,” the Panel said.
Led by Justice Doris Okuwobi, the panel recommended that said that those involved in the attack on Nigerian youths should face appropriate disciplinary measures.
“The Panel recommends that the Lekki Toll Plaza be made a memorial site for ENDSARS Protest: By renaming to ‘ENDSARS TOLLGATE’.
“The panel recommends that October 20th of every year, the day is made a ‘Toll-Free Day’ at the Lekki Toll Gate as long as the tollgate exists. “That for the purpose of restitution, healing, and reconciliation the federal Government needs to publicly apologize to the youth for abruptly undermining the protest with their state actors. “The government should do all it can to bridge the gap of distrust with the Youth.
The panel also had some harsh words to the Police and the Army: “The panel finds that the ineffectiveness of the Police cannot be a justify cation for the invitation of the Army to Lagos state and the deployment of the Army to the Lekki Toll Gate on October 20th, 2020. “Given the number of people gathered at the Lekki Toll Gate, an invitation of the Army to Lagos State and deployment of the Army to disperse such peaceful gathering should not be an option for a government that had already opened up dialogue with the protesters,” it said
