#EndSARS Lekki Tollgate massacre: Shocking revelations by Lagos Panel [Pt. 1]

The Lagos State Judicial Panel of Inquiry on Restitution for Victims of SARS Related Abuses and Other Matters (Lagos EndSARS Panel) has released some shocking discoveries from the Lekki Tollgate shootings of October 20, 2020 as a massacre.

The panel indicted Nigerian soldiers and other security agents in the killing, forced disappearances and injuring of tens of harmless and unarmed youths protesting police brutality at the Lekki Tollgate on October 20, 2020.

Below is part one of a 309-page report submitted to Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu of Lagos State on Monday by the Justice Doris Okuwobi-led panel tagged “LASG JPI Report Of The Lekki Incident Investigation Of 20th October 2020:

FINDINGS

1. Was there a protest at lekki toll gate?

A. Evidence from the testimonies of all witnesses that appeared before the Panel indicated that there were protests that emanated from opposition to allege police brutality and perceived human rights violations and demand for police reforms. The protests began on or about the 8th of October, 2020 and climaxed with the incident of alleged shooting of the protesters by soldiers and police at the Lekki Toll Gate in the evening of 20th October, 2020.

B. From the evidence of Miss Serah Ibrahim, as well as Onileowo Legend, Dabiraoluwa Ayuku and Kamsichukwu Ibe, who participated in the #EndSARS protests, as part of the organizers. Panel took their accounts of the protest as coming from that of eye witnesses.

C. The Panel finds that around October 8, 2020 or thereabout, the protest started as a form of campaign against Police brutality and police reforms, with protesters remaining at the protest grounds till about 8-9pm but as it gained momentum, protesters stayed till 3am and then later till the following day, coming in shifts and it thereafter became a continuous process.

D. The Panel finds that the protest was about police brutality and police reform, especially the various experiences of youths in the hands of the Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS).

Protesters had prayer meetings, worship services, Jumaat Services, musical interludes, ambulance services, rescue operations, security services and they had meaningful and peaceful interactions with the Lekki Concession Company, Loatsad Promedia, the Governor of Lagos State and other top officials of the State Government and even the security agencies, prior to October 20th 2020, all consistent with peaceful and orderly conduct, not generally associated with hoodlums.

E. It was largely peaceful although the panel finds that on the 12th of October 2020, there were reports of unruly behavior consisting of pelting the Governor with water sachets, as well as heckling of his deputy.

F. The Panel finds that the protest had the objectives of communicating the grievances of the youths to the appropriate authorities, they had Nigerian flags and it was comprised of people from different tribes and religion, old and young.

G. The Panel finds that the protesters had very cordial relationship with the security agencies and even had cause to pave way for some Naval officers who were on a mission somewhere along the Lekki Axis.

H. The Panel finds that both the State and Federal Government were well informed about the protest and prominent officials visited the protesters at the Lekki Toll Gate, including the Governor of Lagos State and other prominent politicians. Prominent stars and musicians were able to engage the Police maturely to avoid any clash between the police and the protesters.

2. What was the nature of the protest at the Lekki Toll Gate?

A. There was a widespread protest against the activities of the Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS) and the police generally across the state, majorly at Alausa Secretariat and Lekki Toll Gate, which kicked off from the 8th of October to the 20th of October 2020.

The Alausa and Lekki Toll Gate convergence were generally peaceful and orderly with participants from across the state in attendance. Due to the number of participants, the gathering caused a gridlock based on the adoption of the Lekki Toll Gate as the epicenter of the protest.

B. The right to peaceful protest is the individual and/or collective exercise of existing and universally recognized human rights, including the rights to freedom of expression, freedom of peaceful assembly and of association, the right to take part in the conduct of public affairs, the right to freedom of thought, conscience and religion, the right to participation in cultural life, the rights to life, privacy, liberty and security of a person and the right to non-discrimination.

The right to protest is also essential to securing all human rights, including economic, social and cultural rights; Rights to protest is anchored in the human rights treaties signed and ratified by Nigeria.

C. International Human rights law treaties signed and ratified by Nigeria specifically International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR) and the Nigerian Constitution protect the rights of people to peaceful assembly, to freedom of expression and to association, as well as to participate in the conduct of the public affairs of their country.

The relevant provisions can be found in Article18, 19 and 20 of Universal Declaration of Human Rights, Article 18, 19, 21, 22 and 25 of ICCPR and Sections 38, 39 and 40 of the Constitution of Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999 as amended.

D. The protest at Lekki Toll Gate according to eyewitnesses that testified and from the video footages submitted by witnesses and LCC was very peaceful on all the days including the 20th of October, 2020 until the arrival of men of the Nigerian Army.

E. Protesters had cleaners to clear the environment of debris, stones and any other dangerous object. The Panel finds that the modus of the protest was that they had tents, some brought their cars and some other slept on the bare grass.

The protesters had cordial relationship with LCC personnel and gave them food in their various offices. Panel finds that the gathering at the Lekki Toll Gate was not that of hoodlums and cultists. They were vigilant against petty thieves and miscreants who they apprehended and handed over to Policemen.

They had private security men and bodyguards, they also had ambulances to attend to health issues, they had welfare officers who took care of feeding the protesters and they had an effective sanitation team that cleared the protest ground daily through consistent sweeping with zero tolerance for dangerous items and weapons such as stones, sticks, guns, machetes, etc. They also had an effective crowd control mechanism.

F. The Panel finds that the testimonies of Miss Serah Ibrahim, Miss Dabira Ayuku, Mr. Onileowo Legend and Miss Kamsichukwu, vividly captured the protest, especially at the Lekki Toll Gate. Protesters had three drones flying around on October 20, 2020 and they were able to capture graphic details of the events and occurrences on the said day.

G. The Panel finds that there was heavy police presence at the Lekki Toll Gate, with police trucks parked.

To be continued…