The United State Department of Justice’s report on the alleged shooting that took place on October 20, 2020 at Lekki toll gate in Lagos State explains that there is “no accurate information on fatalities resulting from the shooting”.
In its report titled, ‘Country Reports on Human Rights Practices for 2020’, the US said conflicting reports from Lekki toll gate has made it impossible to have accurate information on the incident.
According to the DOJ, two persons were killed in connection to the protests that took place in Lagos with one of the killing purportedly happening in Lekki but not necessarily at the toll gate.
“There were reports that the government or its agents committed arbitrary, unlawful, or extrajudicial killings,” the US DOJ said in its report.
“At times authorities sought to investigate, and when found culpable, held police, military, or other security force personnel accountable for the use of excessive or deadly force or for the deaths of persons in custody, but impunity in such cases remained a significant problem.
“State and Federal panels of inquiry investigating suspicious deaths did not always make their findings public.
“The National Police, Army, and other security services sometimes use force to disperse protesters and apprehend criminals and suspects. Police forces engaging in crowd-control operations generally attempt to disperse crowds using nonlethal tactics, such as firing tear gas, before escalating their use of force.
The US Department of Justice added that, “On October 20, members of the security forces enforced curfew by firing shots into the air to disperse protesters, who had gathered at the Lekki Toll Gate in Lagos to protest abusive practices by the Nigerian Police Force’s Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS).
“Accurate information on fatalities resulting from the shooting was not available at year’s end. Amnesty International reported 10 persons died during the event, but the government disputed Amnesty’s report, and no other organization was able to verify the claim.
“The government reported two deaths connected to the event. One body from the toll gate showed signs of blunt force trauma. A second body from another location in Lagos State had bullet wounds.
“The government acknowledged that soldiers armed with live ammunition were present at the Lekki Toll Gate. At year’s end, the Lagos State Judicial Panel of Inquiry and Restitution continued to hear testimony and investigate the shooting at Lekki Toll Gate.
It will be recalled that Nigerians protesting police brutality under the #EndSARS movement defied curfew imposed by the Lagos State Government on the 20th of October to protest at the Lekki toll gate.
The event turned bloody when soldiers were deployed to the toll gate to disperse the protests as the military and police sought to impose the curfew.
After the incident, the Vice President of Nigeria, Prof. Yemi Osinbajo directed Governors to set up Judicial Panel of Inquiries to investigate police brutality and compensate the victims.
