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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