Unarmed protesters at Lekki toll gate at Lagos were shot and killed by the Nigerian army, says a leaked judicial report. Events at the incident that took place in October 2020 were verified by three witnesses, who narrated the events to the judicial panel. Thousands had gathered at Lekki gate to protest police brutality.
The report, which was submitted to the Lagos government on Monday, said most of the army officers deployed to the Lekki Toll Gate were “not fit and proper to serve.” It recommended prosecution of certain policemen for their actions.
The judicial panel was tasked with investigating the incident and abuses by the now-defunct Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS). Its report has not been made public.
“At the Lekki Toll Gate, officers of the Nigerian Army shot, injured and killed unarmed helpless and defenceless protesters, without provocation or justification, while they were waving the Nigerian flag and singing the national anthem and the manner of assault and killing could in context be described as a massacre,” the report said.
In 2020, thousands of young Nigerians had taken to the streets demanding to disband the SARS unit and then more widely against police brutality and bad governance.
The judicial panel's report said that the army, which had been invited by Lagos, had broken its own rules of engagement. Soldiers turned ambulances away from the gate. 'Cruel and inhuman' behaviour contributed to protester deaths and injuries. It found 48 'casualties', including 11 who were slain, four who were missing and feared dead and several others who had gunshot wounds. Nearly 100 more unidentified bodies in Lagos state could potentially be linked to the tragedy.
There was an attempt to cover up the incident by police officers who picked up bullets and state agencies who cleaned the scene, and summoned army officers who did not appear before the panel, a Reuters report read.
