Monday, November 22, 2021

#EndSARS: At Last, Truth Resurrects From Shallow Grave Of Lies

 By Charles Okoh

No matter how far falsehood travels, the truth must always catch up with it. Everybody, that should be telling Nigerians who gave them the mandate they exercise, lied concerning the issues before, during and after the unfortunate development on October 20, 2020, at the Lekki Toll Gate, when defenceless Nigerian youths were shamelessly mowed by wicked uniformed personnel of the Nigerian Army and the Police. Since then, there have been tons and tons of lies to mask the truth, but the truth cannot be buried forever.

The Lagos State Governor, Babajide Sanwo-Olu, who before then enjoyed tremendous goodwill among Nigerian youths in Lagos, joined in the lie. These flip-flops and cocktail of lies were so much and concerted that the victims were made to look like the suspects.

What were the issues? The #EndSARS protest, a campaign against police brutality and for the reform of the police, was held in different states of Nigeria for about two weeks. These protesting youths have for many years complained about the raw deal they have been getting from the hands of policemen. Nigerian youths were killed for wearing dreadlocks; they were killed for owning computers, some were killed for driving posh cars. Many were killed for demanding explanations from the police or wanting to know why they were arrested. All of these went on and the police and Federal Government paid scant attention to the yearnings of these youths.

During the protest, these youths conducted themselves admirably and maintained law and order. They were never violent and molested no passer-by. The protest in some parts of the country turned violent after the government mobilised miscreants and security operatives to attack the protesters.

Meanwhile, that of Lekki remained peaceful and well-organised with the protesters even clearing their garbage, holding what appeared more like a carnival and generally enjoying themselves. Governor Sanwo-Olu, who can be described as the poster boy of what a good government-citizens’ relationship should look like, was engaging the protesters and making promises. He even took the demands of the protesters to President Muhammadu Buhari.

At Lekki Toll Gate they spoke loud and clear on the need for young people to exercise their civic and political rights against injustice and demanded reform of government policies that will guarantee good governance and better life for all citizens.

At what point did Sanwo-Olu hit the panic button? What informed his decision to deviate from the path he had towed and began the panicky measures that led to the imposition of curfew and invitation of soldiers who in turn threw away all cautions and discarded their rules of engagement that define the circumstances, conditions, degree, and manner in which the use of force, or actions which might be construed as provocative, may be applied? The 24-hour curfew was imposed on October 20 on all parts of the state starting from 4 p.m., which was later adjusted to 9 p.m.

At about 6:45 p.m. same October 20, men in military uniform arrived at the toll gate in three Toyota Hilux vans and almost immediately began shooting into a crowd of peaceful protesters gathered there waving the Nigerian green-and-white flag and reciting the national anthem.

On October 27, the Nigerian Army said that it was invited to enforce the curfew in Lagos by the state government. The army in a statement by its 81 Division in Lagos, signed by its spokesperson, Osoba Olaniyi, also said it did not shoot at protesters.

That account by the army was debunked by protesters and other witnesses at the toll gate who insisted that several people were injured and killed in the shooting.

DJ Switch, a popular disc Jockey, who streamed the incident live on Instagram, claimed that the soldiers, after the shooting, took the dead away. She also claimed that a team of police officers arrived later to mop up after the soldiers left. Some government’s turncoats and apologists joined the government in its denials and insisted that the bodies of the victims must be provided. They hunted and sought after DJ Switch and called her names, forcing her into exile abroad.

Governor Sanwo-Olu condemned the attack and denied inviting the soldiers. He said he was not involved in the deployment of the soldiers.

Speaking on the shooting, Sanwo-Olu said; “I don’t know how the officers got it all wrong because the instruction was that police won’t be out until 10-10:30 p.m. when all citizens should have gotten to their various homes. This is totally against what we stand for. The army does not report to me, I have reported the matter to the highest command in the military.”

The governor, after initially denying any killing, a few days later admitted that only two persons were killed. He promised that the state will investigate the incident and urged residents with factual evidence on additional deaths from the Lekki shooting to submit them to a panel of inquiry he intends to set up on the shootings.

True to his promise, he set up a judicial panel led by Doris Okuwobi, a retired judge, while other members comprised Ebun Adegboruwa, SAN, Patience Udoh, a retired Deputy Inspector General of Police, Taiwo Lakanu, Segun Awosanya, human rights activist, Olutoyin Odusanya, Director, Lagos Citizens Mediation Centre, and Temitope Majekodunmi, a youth representative.

The Judicial Panel of Inquiry and Restitution on Lekki Toll Gate Shooting Incident and Cases of Police Brutality as well as human rights violations, submitted its report last Monday. The 309-page report detailed how the Army and Police disregarded their rules of engagement during the protest.

The panel in its report found that on “October 20, 2020, at the Lekki Toll Gate, officers of the Nigerian Army shot, injured and killed unarmed, helpless and defenseless protesters without provocation or justification, while they were waving the Nigerian flag and singing the national anthem and the manner of assault and killing could in context be described as a massacre.”

The panel also found that the conduct of the Nigerian Army was exacerbated by its refusal to allow ambulances to render medical assistance to victims who required such assistance. The Army was also found not to have adhered to its own Rules of Engagement.

The panel found that the Nigeria Police Force deployed its officers to the Lekki Toll Gate on the night of October 20, 2020, and between that night and the morning of October 21, 2020, its officer shot at, assaulted and battered unarmed protesters, which led to injuries and deaths.  The police officers also tried to cover up their actions by picking up bullets.

The panel found that LCC (Lekki Concession Company) hampered the panel’s investigation by refusing to turn over some useful and vital information/evidence as requested by the Panel and the forensic expert engaged by the panel.

They also found that there was an invitation of the Nigerian Army to Lagos State made by the Lagos State Government through the governor and that there was an attempt to cover up the incident by the cleaning of the Lekki Toll Gate and the failure to preserve the scene ahead of potential investigations.

Meanwhile, the Federal and state governments in their haste to bury the truth obviously did a shoddy job. They eventually harassed Twitter out of Nigeria under the guise that they were protesting Twitter’s drop of Buhari’s tweet, whereas in reality they saw that as an avenue of getting at the social media micro blogging site for what was the huge success of the #EndSARS protest. They bullied CNN and questioned their integrity. They buried the truth in a shallow grave, left traces of their nocturnal activities and left the limbs of truth hanging out. Indeed, there was a massacre; our defenseless youth were killed and the poor attempts by those elected to protect us to mask up this heinous crime against the people has come out into the open in the fullness of time. Indeed, there is time and season for all things.

While the nation awaits the White Paper of the four-man committee led by the Attorney-General and Commissioner for Justice, Moyosore Onigbanjo, SAN, to prepare a White Paper, constituted by Governor Sanwo-Olu, there is need to inform the government and the military authorities that the only thing that can heal this nation and wounds of the sad episode and forestall recurrence is to admit error, pay compensation and apologise for the evil visited on these innocent victims. Anything short of that is a waste of time and resources.

As will be expected, some never say die turncoats and government apologists are seeking to pick holes in the report of the panel in a bid to discredit the final outcome. What is not in doubt is that state actors paid to protect the people turned against them on that night and killed them mindlessly; that is enough of a disgrace for which all those involved must be made to pay.

Much as we thank the governor for keeping his promise of allowing the panel to carry out its assignment without interference, we also wish to inform him that the task ahead, public release of the White Paper, and implementations of some of the recommendations of the committee, within the purview of the state, would ultimately define his tenure in office, while we await the reports by similar committees across the states of the federation. He must ignore those trying to play the devil’s advocate, by trying to do otherwise because ultimately it’s his reputation that is at stake; not that of these political jobbers.

*Okoh is a commentator on public issues (charlesokoh126@yahoo.com)

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