EndSARS: FG rejects Lagos panel report, reveals only reason to change stand

The Federal Government has rejected the report of the Lagos State Judicial Panel of Inquiry and Restitution on Lekki Toll Gate Shooting which had indicted the Nigerian Police and the military.

It was recalled that the panel, which was inaugurated in October 2020, had last week, submitted its findings to the Lagos State Government, stating in the leaked report that at least nine persons were killed during the EndSARS protest at Lekki.

Despite the report, the Minister of Information and Culture, Mr Lai Mohammed on Tuesday, during a press conference, insisted that it was recycled fake news.

Lai Mohammed stated that for the Federal Government to change its stand on the report, there must be more investigations.

According to the Minister, the report which is currently in circulation was calculated to embarrass President Muhammadu Buhari’s government and its agencies “without foolproof evidence”.

He said, “there is absolutely nothing in the report that is circulating to make us change our stand that there was no massacre at Lekki on Oct. 20th, 2020. For us to change our stand, a well-investigated report of the incident that meets all required standards and will withstand every scrutiny must be produced and presented to the public.

“The report in circulation does not meet those requirements. We also appeal to the families of those allegedly killed in Lekki to speak out.

“It’s untenable to say that some families did not come out because they are afraid. Any parent who is afraid to testify about the death of his or her child is not worth being called a parent.

“We reject the notion that our soldiers and policemen massacred innocent Nigerians at Lekki on Oct. 20th, 2020. That conclusion is not supported by the weight of available evidence. Indictment for murder is a very serious issue that cannot be done on the basis of allegations and corroborations, as the panel did. Such allegations must be proved beyond a reasonable doubt”.