EndSARS: 48 casualties, 9 confirmed dead at Lekki toll plaza – Lagos Judicial Panel.

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After months of inquiries and investigations, the Lagos State Judicial Panel have confirmed that there were 48 casualties at the Lekki Tollgate Plaza, 9 confirmed dead, 20 sustained gunshot injuries and 13 others assaulted by the military.

You recall, on the night of October 20/10/20 during the #EndSARS protest at the Lekki toll plaza Nigerian military men came in numbers and open fire on the protesters in an attempt to disperse the protest.

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The protest sprung up unexpectedly across the country majorly due to police brutality against the youths of Nigeria then later the agitation extended to protest against bad governance and corruption ravaging the country, fast killing the Nigerians than COVID-19.

In restitution, each state government set up a Judicial Panel of Inquiry to openly investigate police brutality and give justice to the victims. But on the matter of the Lekki Massacre, the story has been different and generated a lot of missed reactions among Nigerians and some Nigerians do not still believe that people died and some brutally injured at the Lekki toll plaza despite live Instagram videos made available by Dj Switch who was present at the scene at the night and despite CNN investigative reports broadcasted on their global network channel.

However, The Lagos State Judicial Panel of Inquiry led by Justice Doris Okuwobi, have submitted its report to the Lagos State Government giving a detailed report of their investigation which confirmed at least 48 protesters were either shot dead, injured with bullet wounds or assaulted by soldiers.

According to the report, nine protesters were confirmed dead, while four were presumed dead.

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In the report, the panel listed 48 names who are casualties of the incident. The report said, among the 48, about 20 sustained gunshot injuries, while 13 others were assaulted by the military.

According to the report, those killed are Victor Sunday Ibanga, Abuta Solomon, Jide, Olalekan Abideen Ashafa, Olamilekan Ajasa, Kolade Salami, Folorunsho Olabisi, Kenechukwu Ugoh and Nathaniel Solomon.

Those presumed dead are Abiodun Adesanya, Ifeanyi Nicholas Eji, Tola and Wisdom.

In the report, the forensic pathologist at the Lagos State University Teaching Hospital, Prof John Obafunwa also presented 96 corpses who were allegedly killed by policemen and soldiers.

The report read in part, “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.

“It was alleged and corroborated that the soldiers had their vans parked at the Lekki tollgate and removed as many bodies and corpses of the fallen protesters, which they took away with their vans.”

Contrary to the Minister of information and Culture, Lai Mohammed consistent denial that the Lekki massacre never happened and threatened to sue The Cable News and CNN for reporting otherwise the panel report have evidence to prove him wrong.

The panel in its findings said “the testimony of Dr Babajide Lawson of Reddington Hospital as to the nature of treatment offered victims of the Lekki Tollgate Incident in relation to gunshot wounds, which were high velocity ‘entry and exit’, all indicate injuries from military weapons, consistent with the bullet shells recovered by the panel during its visit and the witnesses that testified before the panel.”

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The panel stated further findings as follows; “The panel finds corroboration of the case of gunshot wounds in the testimony of Dr Aromolate Ayobami of the Grandville Trauma Centre, where several victims of gunshot wounds were treated comprehensively and discharged.

“General Taiwo was shown video clip 202010.wa0313 of Hq81D file where protesters were shouting that the Army had shot and killed. He admitted seeing someone lying on the ground with what looked like blood, but stated that the video was fake when he did not produce his own original video on behalf of the Army.

“The testimony and report of Prof John Obafunwa, a forensic pathologist of the Lagos State University Teaching Hospital, showed that three corpses were deposited at the Mainland Hospital, Yaba Hospital, all from the Lekki Tollgate and the autopsy conducted thereon revealed death from bleeding caused by penetrating objects or rifled weapon.

“The panel finds that the fact of lack of identity of some of the other 96 corpses on the list supplied by Prof Obafunwa would not obliterate the fact that some of them could have come from the Lekki Tollgate incident of October 20, 2020 or that some other unidentified corpses may have been removed by their families or the military, as claimed by the #EndSARS protesters, far and beyond the list tendered by Prof Obafunwa.”

It found that the firing of live bullets by the Army at genuine protesters resulted in grievous injuries and the loss of lives of the protesters.

“Panel also finds that the shooting of the protesters by the Nigerian Army at the Lekki Tollgate on October 20, 2020 was unwarranted, excessive, provocative and unjustifiable in the circumstances of the state of the protests, which were peaceful and orderly.”

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Furthermore, the panel recommended “disciplinary actions to the following officers (Lt. Col S. O. Bello and Major General Godwin Umelo), who refused to honour the summons of the panel in order to frustrate the investigation.

“All officers (excluding Major General Omata) and men of the Nigerian Army that were deployed in the Lekki Tollgate on October 20, 2020 should be made to face appropriate disciplinary action, stripped of their status, and dismissed as they are not fit and proper to serve in any public or security service of the nation.”

The panel in it’s disciplinary conclusion recommend the followings

Divisional Police Officer of the Maroko Police Station along with policemen deployed from the Maroko Police Station on October 20 and 21, 2020 should be prosecuted for arbitrary and indiscriminate shooting and killing of protesters.
It also suggests that Lekki Toll Plaza be made a memorial site for the by naming it “#EndSARS Tollgate”
October 20 of every year be made a “toll-free day” at the plaza as long as the tollgate exists.