The human rights group, Amnesty International has asked the Federal
\nGovernment not to cover up the shooting at the Lekki Toll Gate during
\nthe #EndSARS protests but rather bring to justice those involved.<\/p>\n
In its latest report published on Tuesday, the rights group released
\ndetails of the timeline of events from when the protests started on
\nOctober 20, 2020.<\/p>\n
\u201cAmnesty International is again calling on Nigerian authorities to bring
\nto justice those behind the shooting and to protect those who are
\nexercising their right to freedom of assembly,\u201d the report read.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe organization is still investigating the shooting and the reported
\nremoval of bodies of those killed by the military in an attempt to
\nremove evidence.\u201d<\/p>\n
The rights group noted that it had been monitoring developments across
\nthe country since the #EndSars protest began on October 8.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat happened at Lekki Toll Gate has all the traits of the Nigerian
\nauthorities\u2019 pattern of a cover-up whenever their defence and security
\nforces commit unlawful killings,\u201d the group added.<\/p>\n
\u201cOne week on, the Nigerian authorities still have many questions to
\nanswer: who ordered the use of lethal force on peaceful protesters? Why
\nwere CCTV cameras on the scene dismantled in advance? And who ordered
\nelectricity being turned off minutes before the military opened fire on
\nprotesters?\u201d<\/p>\n
According to the Country Director of Amnesty International, Osai Ojigho,
\n\u201cThe initial denials of the involvement of soldiers in the shooting was
\nfollowed by the shameful denial of the loss of lives as a result of the
\nmilitary\u2019s attack against the protests.<\/p>\n
\u201cMany people are still missing since the day of the incident, and
\ncredible evidence shows that the military prevented ambulances from
\nreaching the severely injured in the aftermath.\u201d<\/p>\n
Tracking the military\u2019s movements<\/p>\n
The human rights group equally said it tracked the military\u2019s movements
\nbefore the incident as narrated below:<\/p>\n
Amnesty International\u2019s Crisis Response experts investigated and
\nverified social media videos and photographs that confirm the Nigerian
\nsecurity forces were present at the Lekki Toll Gate when the shootings
\noccurred.<\/p>\n
At 6:29pm local time in Lagos, two military vehicles were filmed leaving
\nBonny Camp on videos shared on social media.<\/p>\n
Later footage shows four vehicles with flashing lights in a convoy, and
\nthey appear to be vehicles used by the Nigerian military and police.<\/p>\n
The same vehicles headed east along Ozumba Mbadiwe Avenue \u2013 which
\nchanges its name to the Lekki-Epe Expressway \u2013 in the direction of the
\nLekki Toll Gate.<\/p>\n
On this route, the vehicles pass several international embassies and
\nconsulates, including the Japanese Embassy and the Australian High
\nCommission.<\/p>\n
Further photographs and footage capture the vehicles arriving at the
\ntoll gate, before the peaceful protest is disrupted by men in military
\nuniform and gunfire is heard.<\/p>\n
As night time descended, protesters continued to film and share videos
\nof the shootings. Later in the evening, videos of the victims were also
\nshared on social media.<\/p>\n
Protests Against Police Brutality<\/p>\n
Nigerians had taken to the streets, peacefully demanding an end to
\npolice brutality, extrajudicial executions, and extortion by the Special
\nAnti-Robbery Squad (SARS), a unit of the Nigeria Police Force tasked
\nwith fighting violent crimes.<\/p>\n
According to Amnesty International, at least 56 people have died in the
\nnation since the protests began.<\/p>\n
In multiple cases, it added, security forces used excessive force in an
\nattempt to control or stop the protests, noting that based on its
\ninvestigations, the protests had been peaceful until force was used.<\/p>\n
The human rights group, Amnesty International has asked the Federal Government not to cover up the shooting at the Lekki Toll Gate during the #EndSARS protests but rather bring to…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":76626,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_lmt_disableupdate":"","_lmt_disable":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[17],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-76625","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-exclusive"],"yoast_head":"\n