It is likely that hoodlums wearing military uniforms and not soldiers opened fire at #EndSARS protesters at the Lekki tollgate in Lagos state, the Attorney-General of the Federation (AGF) has said.
Recall that many Nigerians were on the streets especially Lagos calling for the disbandment of the special anti-robbery squad (SARS), and also ending police brutality.
In response to the protest, the Inspector-General of Police quickly disbanded SARS and unveiled another special unit known as SWAT to replace the defunct SARS.
Regardless of the action taken by the IGP, the protest continued and had converged at the Lekki tollgate on Tuesday, 20th October, 2020 before they were forcefully dispersed by soldiers.
However, the Nigerian army has denied any involvement in the shooting of unarmed protesters while the Lagos State Government also denied that they never authorized any the open fire.
Abubakar Malami, said investigation is underway to ascertain what truly happened at the Lekki tollgate.
Malami said it was “pre-emptive” to conclude that there had even been shootings, adding that “hoodlums” may have been hired to create a scene.
“You cannot rule out the possibility of perhaps hoodlums that set in to create a scene… could equally partake in the process,” the AGF said.
The Lekki tollgate incident had sparked off outrage across the country.
Babajide Sanwo-Olu, Lagos state governor, blamed the incident on “forces beyond my direct control”.
But the Osoba Olaniyi, acting director, army public relations, said the Lagos government invited the army to restore order.
However, he denied that soldiers shot protesters, describing reports on the attack by the military as fake.