The Lagos Arbitration Court’s Interrogation and Compensation Panel has been tasked with investigating last year’s infamous Lekki toll gate shooting in Lagos, when Nigerian security forces opened fire on young protesters peacefully against allegations of police brutality.
Its report – which took more than a year to create – accused Nigerian Army officers of “shooting, wounding and killing unarmed and unarmed protesters in self-defence, without provocation”. encouraging or justifying, while they were waving the Nigerian flag and singing the national anthem, and the manner in which the attack and murder in context could be described as a massacre.”
The panel also found that “the behavior of the Nigerian Army was aggravated when it refused to allow ambulances to provide medical assistance to victims in need of such assistance. The Army was also found is not to comply with its own Contracting Rules.”
The panel report highlights and repeatedly refers to an earlier CNN report, which used time stamps, video data and geolocation last year to analyze hours of video taken by people protest.
CNN’s investigation found that the Nigerian army fired live bullets into the crowd at the Lekki toll gate, killing and injuring a number of people. Multiple witnesses also told CNN last year that ambulances were prevented from entering the site to help injured protesters.
Despite the abundance of video evidence, the Nigerian government has long denied that protesters were shot. Last month, on the one-year anniversary of the shooting, Nigerian Information Minister Alhaji Lai Mohammed described the incident as a “ghost massacre” and continued to dismiss the CNN investigation as fake news.
The government and military did not immediately respond to requests for comment on Monday’s report by the judicial panel, which was cited dozens of times by CNN.
However, Lagos Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu said the Lagos state government would implement the panel’s recommendations, according to local media.
What happened?
The investigative panel was originally established in October 2020 by the Lagos state government to look into cases of alleged police brutality – and the now disbanded Special Anti-Robbery Team – and was subsequently assigned toll gate incident investigation.
The panel report also alleges police cover-ups, which they say cleared up the aftermath of the Lekki toll gate shooting and failed to preserve the scene for investigators. “Police officers also tried to cover up their actions by picking up bullets,” the report reads.
It also accused Nigerian authorities of faking CCTV footage and removing bodies from the scene.
The report recommends that all members of the Nigerian Army, with the exception of a major general deployed to the Lekki toll gate, face “appropriate disciplinary action and disqualification”, before being removed. office.
“They are unfit and suitable to serve in any public service or national security,” it said.
The report added that “the dark days of military rule are over and more democratic principles and approaches are needed to win both peace and public trust.”
The reaction to the report led to a wave of emotions on social media platform Twitter on Monday night in Nigeria. Many young people have told CNN that they feel vindicated by the discovery.
DJ Switch, who streamed some of that night’s events and was later forced to flee the country, said: “My tears are overflowing. The truth needs no excuses.”
Akin Olaoye, the leader of the protest that night, told CNN, “The Judiciary Committee’s finding in their report identifies atrocities at the toll gate as a massacre, an act of war. victory and lead us on the path to justice for the many innocent victims, survivors and lost souls still lying in unmarked graves.”
Serah Ibrahim, who participated in the #EndSARS protests and also gave evidence at the panel investigation, told CNN that justice and accountability now need to follow. “I hope all the recommendations are implemented. One part is acknowledging it happened, the other part is accountability,” she said.
“Justice is completely incomplete without accountability,” added Ibrahim.
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