The Lagos State Government produced its promised White Paper report on the Judicial Panel of Inquiry on Police brutality and shootings at the Lekki Tollgate, stating that the 9 deaths discovered by the panel lack evidence.
This was disclosed in its White paper titled; “Government White Paper on the Lagos State Judicial Panel of Inquiry on the Report of Lekki incident Investigation on 20th October 2020.”
Lagos State government added that due to inconsistencies and contradictions in the entire JPI report, the JPI’s findings and conclusion are unreliable and unacceptable.
What the White Paper report is saying
The White Paper revealed that the JPI’s findings of nine deaths are irreconcilable with the evidence of Prof. Obafunwa that only one person died of gunshot wounds at 7:43 pm at the Lekki toll gate.
“Having held that there was no evidence before it, to the contrary of what Prof. Obafinwa said, the question is where did the JPI then get its finding of 9 deaths?” the report stated.
It added that the findings are even more baffling, citing that apart from listing out their names in tabular forms, the JPI offered no explanation regarding the circumstances of their death.
It also faulted the compensation awarded by the JPI, to only one of the alleged nine listed as “deceased” citing that the JPI itself had doubts as to the death of the other 8.
“The inconsistencies and contradictions in the entire JPI report concerning the number of persons who died at the Lekki Toll Gate on 20th October 2020, and their cause of death rendered the JPI’s findings and conclusions thereafter totally unreliable and therefore unacceptable,” the report said.
What you should know
- Recall Nairametrics reported last month that the Judicial Panel probing allegations of police brutality in Lagos State as well as the shootings at Lekki Tollgate during the #EndSARS protest in October 2020, in a brief ceremony, submitted its findings to Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu of Lagos State.
- According to a leaked version of the report, the Judicial Panel allegedly indicted the Nigerian Army for shooting, injuring and killing unarmed helpless and defenceless protesters, without provocation or justification, while they were waving the Nigerian flag and singing the national anthem.
- The panel said that the manner of assault and killing could in context be described as a massacre adding that the conduct of the Nigerian Army was exacerbated by its refusal to allow ambulances to render medical assistance to victims who required such assistance.