The Lagos State Government has rejected one of the recommendations of the panel it set up to probe police brutality and the Lekki shootings of October 20, 2020, citing inconsistencies.
The State Governor, Babajide Sanwo-Olu, had earlier on Tuesday during a press conference, promised a White Paper will be released late Tuesday.
In the released white paper, Lagos dismissed the panel’s report that nine persons were killed at the toll gate when soldiers and the police shot at peaceful protesters.
Sanwo-Olu described the conclusion of the panel that nine persons were shot dead as “assumptions and speculations”.
He said “Lagos State Government accepts 11 out of the 32 recommendations made by the JPI in its report of 15th November 2021, rejected one (1) and accepted 6 (six) with modifications,” the document reads.
“Fourteen (14) recommendations fall outside the powers of Lagos State Government and will be forwarded to the Federal Government for consideration,” Gbenga Omotoso, Commissioner for Information, said in a statement.
“Fourteen (14) recommendations fall outside the powers of Lagos State Government and will be forwarded to the Federal Government for consideration.
“This finding of nine (9) deaths at LTG on 20 October is even more baffling because apart from listing out their names in that form at pages 297-298, the JPI offered no explanation regarding circumstances of their death. The names simply sprang up at pages 297-298 of the report without any justification,” the White Paper read.
“On the basis of the above fundamental inconsistencies in the findings the JPI regarding the nine (9) deaths at LTG, and particularly because the findings are clearly and mainly not supported by evidence before the JPI as attested to by the JPI itself, when it said there was no contrary evidence to that of Prof. Obafunwa that only one person died at LTG of gunshot wounds at LTG on 20th October 2020, the Government is therefore unable to accept the finding that nine people died of gunshot wounds at LTG on 20th October 2020.”
The panel, which was inaugurated last year, submitted its report to Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu two weeks ago.
However, shortly after the report was submitted, a leaked version went into circulation, which indicted the military and the police.
It also said nine persons were killed at the Lekki tollgate, recommending that the toll plaza should be named after EndSARS while the victims should be honoured.
The panel also recommended that October 20 every year should be made toll free at the scene of the incident in honor of the victims who were reportedly killed.
