#ENDSARS: Amnesty International Has Proved That The Military Made Contradicting Statements

Amnesty International, an organization which focused on human rights has revealed that the Nigerian Army and the police were involved in the killing of at least 12 peaceful protesters on Tuesday at two locations in Lagos.

This was made known by Osai Ojigho, the Director of Amnesty International Nigeria, through a statement stating that the killing happened in Lekki and Alausa where thousands of people gathered to protest police brutality as part of the #EndSARS movement. 

Ojigho also added that evidence gathered from eyewitnesses, hospital reports and video footage confirmed that between 6:45pm and 9:00pm on Tuesday 20 October, the Nigerian military opened fire on thousands of people who were peacefully calling for good governance and an end to police brutality. 

The military had earlier come out to debunked such news, and had denied shooting protesters in the area. Going forward, the investigation by Amnesty International has made it known that the military made contradicting statements which do not correspond with recent findings.

According to Ojigho, “Witnesses at the Lekki protest grounds told Amnesty international that soldiers arrived at about 6:45pm local time on Tuesday evening, and opened fire on #EndSARS protesters without warning.

“Eyewitnesses at Alausa protest ground said they were attacked by a team of soldiers and policemen from the Rapid Response Squad (RRS) Unit at about 8:00 pm, leaving at least two people dead and one critically injured.  

“Opening fire on peaceful protesters is a blatant violation of people’s rights to life, dignity, freedom of expression and peaceful assembly. Soldiers clearly had one intention – to kill without consequences.

“Amnesty Internationaal received reports that shortly before the shootings, CCTV cameras at the Lekki toll gate, where #EndSARS protesters had been camped for two weeks, were removed by government officials and the electricity was cut – a clear attempt to hide evidence.