The representative of the army on the Lagos State Security Council, Commander, 9 Brigade, Nigerian Army, Brig. Gen. Musa Etsu-Ndagi, has said he received a phone call from the Lagos State Governor, Mr Babajide Sanwo-Olu, around 7:23 pm on October 20, 2020 informing him that one Lt. Col. Bello was shooting at the Lekki tollgate where #EndSARS protesters were gathered.
Etsu-Ndagi, one of the military officers listed as witnesses of the Nigerian Army before the Lagos State Judicial Panel of Inquiry probing the Lekki shootings, stated this in his statement on oath filed at the panel’s registry on Friday.
Etsu-Ndagi said after receiving the governor’s call, he immediately called Bello, who is the Commanding Officer, 65 Battalion, Bonny Camp, Victoria Island.
But, according to him, Bello told him that he only fired blank ammunition into the air.
The Nigerian Army has been insisting that soldiers did not fire at protesters at the tollgate.
Bello further claimed that the protesters were happy to see the soldiers at the tollgate.
He also claimed that he personally offered the protesters water and drinks while persuading them to go home and observe the 24-hour curfew declared by the Lagos State Government.
Another military witness, Commander, 81 Division Garrison, VI, Brig Gen Francis Omata, told the panel that by the time soldiers arrived at the tollgate, the protest had turned from peaceful to violent.
He said on arrival at the tollgate, the soldiers were being pelted with stones and broken bottles and that in response they fired blank ammunition into the air to disperse the crowd.
Omata said, “On arrival at the tollgate at about 7.30pm, I met a rowdy situation. I also met the Commanding Officer, 65 Battalion (Bello), who briefed me on the situation. He briefed me that he met a hostile crowd, hoodlums mixed with the protesters, who were chanting and throwing stones at them.
“I was able to disperse the crowd by firing blank ammunition into the air.
“At this point, stones and sticks were being thrown at us. Then I moved to a safe area and briefed General Officer Commanding 81 Division, Maj Gen Godwin Ahamefuna Umelo by phone.
“The General Officer Commanding directed me to pacify the hostile crowd and move the troops back to base. However, the crowd still continued chanting #EndSARS. I then instructed the troops to withdraw to base.”
In his own account of the incident, Bello said while he was moving towards the Lekki-Ajah Expressway at around 6.45pm, he heard gunshots before the tollgate and on coming down he saw that the crowd had turned from peaceful protesters to a mob, infiltrated by hoodlums.
Bello said, “On getting to the tollgate, I persuaded the crowd to go home and observe the 24-hours curfew declared by the state government.
“But surprisingly, the hoodlums continued throwing stones, bottles and other dangerous objects at us and were burning tyres.
“I again fired some blank ammunition upward to scare the hoodlums away. But some protesters who were still at the tollgate sitting down quietly were given water and drinks by me while pleading with them to go home.
“We did not fire at the protesters. Blank ammunition were fired upward to scare the hoodlums from the crowd.
“Nobody was shot dead at the Lekki tollgate, there was no massacre as claimed. The claim that the military took away dead bodies was not true.
“The protesters were happy to see us as indicated in some of the video clips of 20th October 2020.”
The testimony of the witnesses contradicted earlier claims by the Army that video of soldiers shooting at the was photoshopped.
It also contradicted claims by the Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Abubakar Malami, that ‘hoodlums wearing army uniforms’ were behind the shooting.
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