Lekki Shooting: Amnesty Int’l Reacts To Lagos Judicial Panel Report

Amnesty International has reacted to the report released by the Lagos State Judicial Panel of Inquiry on Restitution for Victims of SARS Related Abuses and other matters.

The panel in its report disclosed that not less than eleven people were killed at the Lekki tollgate on October 20, 2020.

Justice Doris Okuwobi-led panel disclosed this in its report submitted to the Lagos State Government on Monday.

The panel in the report titled, ‘Report of Lekki Incident Investigation Of 20th October 2020’, noted at least 48 protesters were either shot dead, injured with bullet wounds or assaulted by soldiers.

Reacting to the development, the human rights group said the panel report has confirmed its earlier investigation done last year.

In a tweet via its verified Twitter handle on Monday, Amnesty asked the Nigerian Government to admit that peaceful protesters were killed and others injured at Lekki toll gate.

It wrote: “An on-the-ground investigation by Amnesty International has confirmed that the Nigerian army and police killed peaceful protesters at Lekki Toll Gate on 20 October 2020s #EndSARS“

An on-the-ground investigation by Amnesty International has confirmed that the Nigerian army and police killed peaceful protesters at Lekki Toll Gate on 20 October 2020s #EndSARS https://t.co/Ela5AvWxgN

— Amnesty International Nigeria (@AmnestyNigeria) November 15, 2021

Recall that on the occasion of the first year anniversary of the famous #EndSARS protests in Nigeria, the Minister of Information and Culture, Lai Mohammed had demanded apologies from CNN, Amnesty International, and DJ Switch.

According to the Minister who spoke during a press conference in Abuja, CNN, Amnesty, and DJ Switch were all guilty of spreading fake news.

Mohammed maintained that there was no massacre of Nigerian youths at the Lekki Toll Gate incident during the protest last year and the trio mentioned only gave false and misleading reports.

The Minister insisted a professional analysis of what transpired at the Lekki Toll Gate revealed that the military didn’t massacre anyone while if truly there was any killing as widely reported, the families of the victims and those affected would have appeared with evidence before the Judicial Panel of Inquiry.

Not done, Lai Mohammed further accused the trio of spreading ‘tales by moonlight’ about what he described as the phantom killings at the Lekki Toll Gate during the EndSARS protests last year.