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HOW IT HAPPENED: Amnesty Releases Timeline Of Military Onslaught On #EndSARS Protesters
Amnesty International (AI) says it has uncovered the timestamp of chain of event that led to the shooting and killing of peaceful #EndSARS protesters at Lekki toll-gate last week Tuesday..
In the timeline published on Wednesday, the rights watchdog chronicled how what’s now known as the Lekki massacre happened.
Amnesty disclosed that an “on-the-ground investigation” was carried out on the incident.
It disclosed that its findings revealed that soldiers from the Nigerian army’s Bonny camp opened fire on protesters.
For two weeks, Nigerians, in their thousands, took to the streets to protest against police brutality and dissolution of police special anti-robbery squad (SARS).
The public agitation spiralled into call for improved governance in addition to justice for victims of police brutality.
On Tuesday, what had been widely praised has a peaceful public agitation degenerated into bloodbath as soldiers opened fire at the Lekki tollgate where young protesters had been converging in Lagos killing at least 15 people.
While the army initially denied having a hand in the incident, it said on Tuesday that it got involved because the Lagos government invited it to restore order.
The new timeline of the incident chronicled from how the protest was peaceful, through the firing of gunshots, and up to the statement from Babajide Sanwo-Olu, Lagos governor, that the army was responsible for the shooting.
Amnesty International said its investigation “has confirmed that the Nigerian army and police killed peaceful protesters” in Lagos.
“This timeline collates video and photograph footage to confirm that army vehicles left the Bonny Camp – a military base approximately a seven-minute drive from the Lekki Toll Gate at 18:29 local time on 20 October,” it said.
“The vehicles are tracked to the Toll Gate. At around 18:45 the Nigerian military opened fire on the protesters.”
Osai Ojigho, AI country director in Nigeria, accused the government of attempting to cover up the shooting at the tollgate.
According to her, “what happened at Lekki Toll Gate has all the traits of the Nigerian authorities’ pattern of a cover-up whenever their defence and security forces commit unlawful killings”.
“The initial denials of the involvement of soldiers in the shooting was followed by the shameful denial of the loss of lives as a result of the military’s attack against the protests,” she said.
“Many people are still missing since the day of the incident, and credible evidence shows that the military prevented ambulances from reaching the severely injured in the aftermath.”
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