US Demands Justice on #EndSARS Killings

The United States Secretary of State, Antony Blinken, has said America is keenly waiting for the federal and Lagos State governments to take action on the report of the judicial panel of inquiry, which probed the alleged killing of #EndSARS protesters by soldiers and policemen on the night of October 20, 2020 at the Lekki toll gate in Lagos.

The eight-man panel, led by retired Justice Doris Okuwobi, had submitted a 309-page report on Monday, indicting soldiers and police and affirming that security agents killed peaceful protesters.

Affirming the widespread description of the Lekki toll gate incident as a massacre, the panel, in its report, declared at least nine persons were killed by security agents at the toll gate.

The panel report listed 48 names as casualties of the Lekki incident out of which 22 protesters sustained gunshot injuries, while 15 others were assaulted by soldiers and police.

It listed the names of the deceased as Victor Sunday Ibanga, Abuta Solomon, Jide, Olalekan Abideen Ashafa, Olamilekan Ajasa, Kolade Salami, Folorunsho Olabisi, Kenechukwu Ugoh and Nathaniel Solomon.

The report also listed Abiodun Adesanya, Ifeanyi Nicholas Eji, Tola and Wisdom as “presumed dead.”

 The panel said, “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.”

The report added, “From the evidence of General Taiwo on pages 6, 7, 21, 22, the panel finds that both blank and live bullets were fired by the Nigerian Army at the Lekki toll gate on October 20, 2020, for the following reasons:

“Apart from the military men in uniform, the Army left its base with vehicles, rifles and guns, which contained both live and blank bullets. General Taiwo admitted at page 22 that the Army went to the Lekki Toll Gate with live ammunition.

“As of October 30, 2020, when the panel visited the Lekki Toll Gate for its on-the-spot assessment, it was still able to recover two bullets shells which were duly analysed by the forensic expert hired by the panel, Sentinel, who is very familiar with weapons used by the Nigerian Army.

“These bullet shells were said to be the same as or similar to the ones normally used by the Nigerian Army and they were expended shells, meaning they were fired live at the Lekki toll gate.

“Petitioners and witnesses appeared before the panel to give vivid accounts of shootings by the Army into the crowd of protesters. The panel finds their testimonies credible being eyewitnesses’ accounts and would ascribe probative value to their testimony over that of General Taiwo who was not physically present at the Lekki Toll Gate.

“The panel finds as credible, the case of the #EndSARS protesters that soldiers shot directly at protesters at the Lekki toll gate on October 20, 2020 as confirmed by Lagos State Ballistic expert, Willie-Harry, on page 244 that some video evidence indicate ‘… instances where troops were seen to be re-arming their weapons before either discharging them to the air or purposely in the direction of the protesters …’

“The testimony of the #EndSARS protesters, especially Miss Serah Ibrahim, Mr. Onileowo Legend, Miss Dabira Ayuku, Miss Kamsichukwu (all of whom were personally present at the Lekki Toll Gate on October 20), as to the fact that the Army shot live bullets, video evidence of casualties, fatalities, etc, all lend credence to the fact that the Army shot at the protesters at the Lekki Toll Gate on October 20 2020 which resulted into deaths and other physical injuries.”

Based on the findings, the panel recommended, among others, “disciplinary actions against the following officers – Lt. Col S.O. Bello and Major General Godwin Umelo, who refused to honor the summons of the panel in order to frustrate the investigation.”

It added, “All officers (excluding Major General Omata) and men of the Nigerian Army that were deployed to the Lekki Toll Gate 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 DPO of Maroko Police Station along with policemen deployed from Maroko Police Station on the 20th and 21st of October 2020 should be prosecuted for arbitrary and indiscriminate shooting and killing of protesters.”

After receiving the panel’s report on Monday, Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu of Lagos State set up a four-man committee to come up with a white paper on the report.

Sanwo-Olu assured Nigerians that the government’s action would be guided by the law and in the public interest.

He expressed hope that the government’s decision on the reports would bring complete healing, reconciliation and restitution to the victims.

During a meeting with the President, Major General Muhammadu Buhari (retd.), on Thursday in Aso Rock, Abuja, the US Secretary of State, Blinken, had said America “anticipate and look to the state and the Federal Government’s response to the findings, and expect those to include steps that ensure accountability and address the grievances of the victims and their families.”

On Friday, the US Secretary of State met with members of the civil society in Abuja, reiterating that the US’s demand for justice.

Blinken told the CSOs: “We saw the conclusion this week of the independent Lagos State Judicial Panel of Inquiry’s work and the transmission of its final report. And this is clearly an important step toward accountability for the killings and other abuses alleged to have been committed by security forces during the EndSARS protests, a year ago.

“So, we’re very much looking forward to the Federal Government and the Lagos State Government and other state governments taking measures to address the alleged abuses, as well as the grievances of victims and their families.

“Reports are critical, but what counts as much and even more is whether there’s action that follows those reports.”