Chief of Defence Staff, General Lucky Irabor, has warned Nigerians not to “disparage” the Armed Forces of Nigeria and “the men and women, who have worked so hard to ensure that the territorial integrity of this nation is kept intact.”
The CDS said that the Nigerian military is professional and “if there are issues, of course, we will address them within the ambit of the provisions of the law.”
General Irabor also faulted the procedure adopted for the release of the Lagos ENDSARS report, stating that the issuance of a White Paper was the standard method.
The report of the Lagos State Judicial Panel of Inquiry on Restitution for Victims of SARS Related Abuses and other matters, that at least nine persons were killed and 39 others injured at the the Lagos Lekki Tollgate, on October 20, 2020.
The panel, led by Justice Doris Okuwobi, also recommended that all soldiers (excluding Major General Omata), who were deployed in the Lekki tollgate, should be made to face appropriate disciplinary action, stripped of their ranks and dismissed as they were not fit and proper to serve in any public or security service of the nation.
The panel also said the Divisional Police Officer of the Maroko Police Station, along with policemen deployed from Maroko Police Station on October 20 and 21, 2020, should be prosecuted for arbitrary, indiscriminate shooting and killing of protesters.
The Defence Chief said he could not, at the moment, comment on the content of the document, because he had not seen the official report and could not confirm the authenticity of the leaked one.
Responding to a question during a courtesy visit to the Edo State Governor, Godwin Obaseki, in Benin City on Tuesday, Irabor said: “I am sure those of you in the media must have seen a report that was released though, in my view, a wrong channel, that is making the rounds in the social media. Whether it is a true report, I can’t tell.
“But I’d like to indicate that the normal procedure is to have such a report submitted to the convening authority. Then, there will be a White Paper that will be presented, based on which one can make informed comments.
“So, we will not at this point think that Nigerians should make disparaging remarks regarding the Armed Forces of Nigeria in the sense that we are professional. If there are issues, of course, we will address them within the ambit of the provisions of the law.
“It will not be right to disparage the men and women, who have worked so hard to ensure that the territorial integrity of this nation is kept intact.”
However, a top federal government official faulted the unauthorised release of the report even as he stated that it was riddled with half-truths and inaccuracies.
The official, who wished to remain anonymous because he was not authorised to speak on the matter, said the leaking of the report was a slap on the face of the Lagos State Government, which set up the panel.
“The Lagos State Government is not happy about the unauthorised release of the report. The standard procedure is for the government to scrutinise the report and then issue a White Paper. There are several errors in that report,” the official said.
The official stated that the government never said that persons were not killed, but only argued that no killing occurred at the tollgate on the night of the incident.
The government official said about out five inaccuracies in the report had been spotted so far.
“Nathaniel Solomon was interviewed live by The PUNCH in a video on September 11, 2021. But the panel, in its report, identified Nathaniel Solomon as one of the deceased. The government is studying the report, but until a White Paper has been issued, there can be no action,” he said.
However, the United States Government, the United Nations, Amnesty International, on Tuesday called for action on the report of the panel.
Responding to the report on Tuesday, the United States Mission to Nigeria said it welcomed the final report by the panel, adding that it awaits the response of both the Federal Government and the Lagos State Government.
It said in a statement, “The United States welcomes the conclusion of the Lagos State Judicial Panel of Inquiry with the transmission of its final report. We look forward to the Lagos State Government’s response as part of a process that represents an important mechanism of accountability regarding the #EndSARS protests and the events that took place near the Lekki tollgate on October 20, 2020.
“Those events led to serious allegations against some members of the security forces, and we look forward to the Lagos State and federal governments taking suitable measures to address those alleged abuses as well as the grievances of the victims and their families.”
The United Nations Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator for Nigeria, Edward Kallon, noted that the submission of the findings of the judicial panel would accelerate the process of justice and accountability.
Kallon in a statement on Tuesday titled, ‘United Nations welcomes the submission of #EndSARS report, urges government’s commitment to implementing judicial panel’s recommendations’, said the implementation of the findings would help rebuild trust and start the process of healing and reconciliation.
Kallon said, “I welcome the submission to the Lagos State Governor, Babajide Sanwo-Olu, of the reports of the judicial panel on claims of brutality and shooting in the Lekki area of Lagos State during the 2020 #EndSARS protests.
“I urge the government to implement the recommendations of the judicial panel of inquiry to rebuild trust and start the process of healing and reconciliation.”
Global rights group, Amnesty International, hailed the report, insisting that those indicted by the panel must be brought to justice.
Amnesty said this in a statement titled, ‘Nigeria: Perpetrators must Face Justice after #EndSARS Panel Confirms Shootings of Protesters at Lekki Tollgate’.
In the statement, the Director, Amnesty International Nigeria, Osai Ojigho, said the panel’s findings revealed the truth about what happened at Lekki tollgate and contradicted the blatant denial by the Nigerian government that deadly force was used against peaceful protesters.
Amnesty recalled that a day after the crackdown, it conducted its own on-the-ground investigation, which confirmed that the Nigerian Army and the police killed at least 12 peaceful protesters in Lekki and Alausa, with evidence gathered from eyewitnesses, video footage and hospital reports.
The statement read in part, “For the survivors and relatives of the dead, the judicial panel’s report findings are only the first step towards justice and restitution. President Buhari must act promptly to ensure that those found to be responsible for shooting and attacks on peaceful protesters are brought to justice in fair trial.
“Nigerian authorities must ensure access to justice and effective remedies, including adequate compensation, restitution and guarantee of non-repetition to victims and their families. The authorities must also immediately and unconditionally release all #EndSARS protesters unlawfully detained since last year.”