Note: The views and opinions expressed in blog/editorial posts are those of the author. They do not purport to reflect the views or opinions of Misbar.
The EndSARS protests rocked the entire nation of Nigeria for several weeks last year, and the movement achieved success when the government agreed to disband the notorious Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS), a police unit widely accused of human rights abuse and injustices against the Nigerian people. Still, the aftermath of the protest, especially the fatal events of the night of October 20th will continue to have far-reaching effects on the nation's political history, as questions remain unanswered.
During a protest at the Lekki Toll Gate in Lagos on October 20th, members of the security forces attempted to disperse protesters by firing shots into the air. Several people were shot, but the true number of fatalities has been under dispute ever since. On March 30th of this year, the United States took what appeared to be a major stand on that night’s events. In its 2020 Country Report on Human Rights Practices: Nigeria, the U.S. said that accurate information on the fatalities from the shooting remain fuzzy. Apart from Amnesty International, who reported that 12 people died during the event, no other organization has been able to verify this number.
The report states that the Nigerian government acknowledged that soldiers armed with live ammunition were present at the Lekki Toll Gate that night, but they only reported two deaths connected to the event. They claimed that one body showed signs of blunt force trauma, and a second body from another location had bullet wounds.
Obviously, the government emphatically stressing that only two deaths are connected to the event shows likely bias on its part as it is in its best interest to minimize the number of casualties from that night. Its report on the second body seems suspicious. Would the presence of blunt force trauma imply here that the soldiers had no hand in that death?
There are two distinct schools of thought among Nigerians as to what really happened. The ruling party and others who currently benefit from the present administration believe that there were actually no deaths. They claim that all the noise made over the event is just emotional rantings about something that never happened. The second school of thought, as represented by the general public, holds the view that several innocent Nigerians were killed on that fateful night.
With the repeated denial by the government that the military did not shoot at protesters, several pieces of evidence, such as Amnesty International’s and this live report by Channels TV clearly points to the contrary and lends credence to the claim of the latter school of thought.
Many questions still beg for answers several months later.
For example, who really ordered soldiers to the Toll Gate that night? The military claims that governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu asked for their help, while he claimed he had no authority to ask for military presence that night.
Also, did the soldiers really fire only blank bullets at the protesters as military general Ahmed Ibrahim Taiwo claims? And how does this tally with the evidence presented by this CNN investigation and DJ Switch’s recount of that night?
The difficulty in ascertaining the number of deaths could possibly be because the government is attempting to cover up what really happened. Also, this investigation by Premium Times claims that the army came prepared to clean up its mess and moved a bulk of evidence. They report that eyewitnesses and residents at the site of the shooting described how authorities dumped bodies inside a nearby lagoon.
Sahara journalists had reported that victims were allegedly moved to the IDH mortuary after postmortem examinations were conducted on their bodies at the Department of Pathology and Forensic Medicine, Lagos State University Teaching Hospital, Ikeja. It’s worthy to note that shortly after this, members of the Panel of Inquiry had decided to pay an unscheduled visit to the morgue. Members of the panel were initially not allowed entry as the hospital personnel claimed the facility was under renovation. This went on for about 30 minutes. They were later allowed entry and the place was reported to be empty. What exactly happened within those vital minutes before they were allowed in?
The EndSARs protest period witnessed a range of misinformation in the ensuing confusion as several individuals were taken for dead. This first instance presented an old robbery clip as an EndSARS protest scene. In another, shown here, a picture of a woman was being shared at the scene of an accident. In yet another instance, an old picture of dead bodies was shared as those of Lekki Toll Gate victims. All turned out to be false.
The ensuing misinformation only emphasizes the number of questions begging for answers several months after.
Indeed, it appears that there is a concerted effort by the agencies of the present Nigerian government to cover up the truth. It owes the Nigerian people, as well as the international community a honest report of what really transpired on that fateful night.
Photo by Leon Neal/Getty Images.
