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From Adetutu Folasade-Koyi, Abuja
The Federal Government has rejected the report of the Doris Okuwobi panel of inquiry set up to investigate the attack on unarmed EndSARS protesters at Lekki toll gate on October 20, 2020.
Last year, Lagos State Governor, Babajide Sanwo-Olu, set up a Judicial Panel of Inquiry on Restitution for Victims of SARS Related Abuses and Other Matters, to investigate alleged massacre of Nigerians at the toll gate. On Monday, November 15, 2021, the committee submitted two reports, including one on shootings by security agencies at the tollgate, to the governor and almost immediately, its contents as well as recommendations leaked online.
The governor set up a four-man committee to examine the reports which would culminate in a White Paper to be considered by the Lagos State executive council.
But, the Federal Government is insisting that security agencies did not massacre Nigerians at the tollgate last October, reiterating that Lekki massacre is ‘fake news’.
Minister of Information, National Orientation and Culture, Lai Mohammed, disclosed at a press conference in Abuja, yesterday.
Reminded that the United States of America’s Secretary of State, Anthony Bliken, who met with President Muhammadu Buhari, in Nigeria, last week, had urged government to ensure accountability and address the grievances of the victims and their families, against the backdrop of the panel’s report, Mohammed replied: “If it was set up by a panel in the US, would it pass the test?”
Asked why he was also speaking on a report which the state government had yet to issue a White Paper on, even after the president told Bliken that the Federal Government would wait ‘for the steps taken by states’ and would not impose its ideas on them, he replied: “I’m only commenting on a document which is circulating in public domain, of which many media houses have written editorials; a document of which many have commented freely and it’s only fair government puts across its own side. This briefing has nothing to do and would not prejudice what Lagos State would bring out in its White Paper…”
On demands for his resignation, the minister said: “There have been clamour for my resignation since the day I resumed this office, so, I take it in my stride.”
On the report, he said: “The submission happened while I was out of the country on national assignment. Unlike many commentators and analysts, we took our time to read and digest the report, and we are now well placed to respond.
“Without mincing words, let me say never in the history of any judicial panel in this country has its report been riddled with so many errors, inconsistencies, discrepancies, speculations, innuendoes, omissions and conclusions that are not supported by evidence. What is circulating in public space is simply a rehash of the unverified fake news that has been playing on social media since the incident of October 20m, 2020. It is simply incredible that a judicial panel set up to investigate an incident has submitted a report laden with allegations, the same allegations it was set up to investigate in the first instance. Instead of sitting for one year, the panel could have just compiled social media ‘tales by the moonlight’ on the incident and submitted, saving taxpayers’ funds and everyone’s time. That report is nothing but the triumph of fake news and the intimidation of a silent majority by a vociferous lynch mob…
“Let us, however, point out some key highlights of such discrepancies, errors, omissions, etc. The report threw away the testimony of ballistic experts who testified before it. The experts said, inter alia, in their testimony: ‘The team finds that from the medical data examined, including the timeline of arrival at medical facility and the nature of the injuries sustained by the victims, who were taken to the five medical facilities, that no military grade live ammunition (high-velocity) was fired at the protesters at Lekki toll gate on October 20, 2020, within the timeframe of reference (18.30- 20.34hrs).
“That the GSW (Gun Shot Wounds) injuries (four in number between 19:05 and 19:45 hrs), which were examined by the team, can be safely identified as being discharged by either low velocity calibre and/or artisanal/12-gauge firearms (artisanal firearms are locally-fabricated weapons). What is, however, certain is that had the military personnel deliberately fired military grade live ammunition directly at the protesters; there would have been significantly more fatalities and catastrophic injuries recorded. This was clearly not the case.
“The same panel that said it deemed as credible the evidence of the Forensic Pathologist, John Obafunwa, that only three of the bodies on which postmortem were conducted were from Lekki and only one had gunshot injury went on to contradict itself by saying nine persons died of gunshot wounds at Lekki.
“The man whose evidence (that he counted 11 bodies in a military van where he was left for dead before he escaped) was found to be crucial by the panel never testified in person. Rather, the video of his ‘testimony’ was played by someone else. It did not occur to the panel to query the veracity of the testimony of a man who said he was shot and presumed dead but still had time to count dead bodies inside a supposedly dark van at night.”
On CNN and other foreign media reports on the report, Mohammed said: “The CNN has been celebrating the leaked report of the panel. In its rush to claim vindication, CNN apparently didn’t even read the report before rolling out the drums in celebration. By that action, CNN has celebrated prematurely and has now committed a double faux pas: First, by relying on unverified social media stories and videos to carry out an investigation of the October 20, 2020 incident at Lekki, where it did not have a correspondent on ground. CNN goofed in its report on the findings of the panel, which fell below the main standards of journalism.”
