By Gbenga Abulude (Politics and General Desk)
The Nigerian Army has said it was not petitioned to appear before the Lagos State Judicial Panel of Inquiry and Restitution for Victims of SARS and Related Abuses.
This was disclosed by the Legal team of the Nigerian army on Monday.
Recall the Nigeria army was involved in the alleged shooting and killing of #EndSARS protesters at the Lekki tollgate on October 20.
The army at different times before the panel had denied the shooting and killing of the #EndSARS protesters claiming that it only fired blank ammunitions to disperse the protesters.
The leader of the legal team, Akinwolu Kehinde, said the Nigerian Army was never summoned but was rather invited to throw light on what happened at the Lekki tollgate.
Kehinde, who led the legal team to submit its report to the Chief of Army Staff, Lieutenant General Tukur Buratai, at the Army Headquarters in Abuja, and insisted no person or group petitioned against the Nigerian Army over the October 20 incident.
He said, “I want it to be clear that at no point in time was the Nigerian Army summoned as a respondent, at no time was the Nigerian Army mentioned. Army was there to throw light on what happened.
“At the end of the presentation. The NA was able to explain its involvement, we were able to establish that the NA did not set out on its own to intervene; the NA was called because the civil police was overwhelmed. We were able to show the footage, both oral and visual to show the role of the NA,” he said.
Responding after being handed the copies of the report, the Chief of Army Staff who was represented by the Chief of Policy and Plans, Nigerian Army, Lieutenant General Lamidi Adeosun, said the Nigerian Army is a professional organization that is guided by rules and regulations.
He noted that part of the obligations of the NA is to assist civil authorities in line with its rules of engagement, when invited.
