Some retired military generals have condemned the shooting of unarmed protesters by soldiers at the Lekki Toll Plaza. They tasked the investigative pa
Some retired military generals have condemned the shooting of unarmed protesters by soldiers at the Lekki Toll Plaza. They tasked the investigative panel set up by the state government to bring those indicted to justice.
A former Provost Marshal of the Nigerian Army, Major General Ikpomwen Idada (retd.), faulted the deployment of military men to disperse the protesters, noting that the President should have addressed Nigerians much earlier to douse the tension.
He stated further, “What happened is unfortunate. It is absolutely untenable for military force to be used on protesters exercising their constitutional right to express their views on how they are governed. At this level, unless God is on our side, everything is pointing towards chaos. We should never have reached that stage where protesters are shot at.”
He said Nigerians saw videos of people who looked like DSS officials releasing thugs to attack protesters, and that the provocation aggravated the situation, leading to violence.
“Those who are responsible for it should be disciplined. The army denying that it happened makes it necessary for proper and thorough investigation to be done. Everything points to the fact that those who did the shooting were soldiers.”
Also, a former General Officer Commanding, 1st Division, Nigerian Army, Major General Abiodun Role (retd.), said the #EndSARS protest and the resultant violence had shown to those in position of authority that an important segment of Nigeria’s population had woken up to hold them accountable.
On his part, a former Chairman of the Nigerian chapter of Transparency International, Major General Ishola Williams (retd.), condemned the shootings. Williams said, “Any sensible person will condemn the act of soldiers shooting at unarmed protesters. Anywhere in the world, that is condemnable. If you obey an order to shoot at unarmed persons, you have committed murder. Obeying order alone is not enough to absolve the soldiers from the shootings. So, they are as guilty as the person who gave the orderPeriod!”
He advised that people should wait for the judicial panel of enquiry set up by the governor on the matter, noting that the state’s Neighbourhood Watch and Civil Defence corps should have defended the state and federal buildings from being vandalised by the hoodlums.
Meanwhile, Sanwo-Olu said during a live broadcast on Friday that the seven-member Judicial Panel of Enquiry and Restitution for victims of SARS-related abuses in the state would also investigate the Lekki killings and would resume sitting on Monday. Sanwo-Olu said, “That same panel headed by retired Justice Doris Okuwobi would also investigate all the issues that happened at the toll plaza on Tuesday. The sitting would start on Monday at the Lagos Court of Arbitration International Centre in Lekki.”
