White Paper: Lekki Toll Gate Killings, Mere ‘Assumptions’, Says Lagos Govt

THE Lagos State Government has rejected that nine persons were killed when the Nigerian Army opened fire at unarmed protesters at Lekki Toll Gate on October 20, 2020.

The government said the claims were mere assumptions and speculations.

The government’s position was contained in a white paper on the panel’s report released in the late hours of Tuesday.

The panel had submitted its findings to the state government earlier this month after sitting for more than a year.

In the report, which was seen by The ICIR, the panel indicted the Nigerian Army and the Lagos State Government in the killing of unarmed protesters at the Lekki Toll Gate and the subsequent cover-up of the incident.

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According to the report, at least nine #EndSARS protesters were killed at the Lekki Toll Gate on October 20, 2020.

The report listed 48 names of those who were casualties of the Lekki incident on October 20, 2020.

Among the 48 casualties listed, 24 sustained gunshot injuries, while 15 others were assaulted by soldiers and Police.

In a statement released on Tuesday, Chief Press Secretary to Lagos State Governor Gboyega Akoshile said out of the 32 recommendations made by the panel, government accepted 11, rejected one and accepted six with modifications.

“Fourteen recommendations fall outside the powers of the Lagos State Government and will be forwarded to the Federal Government for consideration. Let the healing begin,” he said.

Before the release of the white paper, efforts had been made  by Federal Government and Lagos State officials to discredit the report.

A Lagos State lawyer had claimed there were inconsistencies in the report, while Nigeria’s Information Minister had described it as tales by moonlight. 

Minister of State for Labour Festus Keyamo, a lawyer, had also described the panel as illegal.