Lekki Shooting, which has generated controversies, has been clarified by the Nigerian Army
OpenLife Nigeria reports that the Nigerian Army says its personnel on duty on October 20 at the Lekki Toll Gate in Lagos during the #EndSARS protests carried Blank And Live Ammunition in line with military rule of engagements in what has been tagged Lekki Shooting.
This clarification become public in a statement issued by Major Osoba Olaniyi, Acting Deputy Director, 81 Division Army Public Relations.
OpenLife Nigeria learnt in the statement that Brigadier General Ahmed Taiwo, Commander of the 81 Division, Military Intelligence Brigade, Victoria Island, made the clarifications during cross examination at the Lagos Judicial Panel.
At the panel, Brigadier General Ahmed Taiwo insisted that that the military acted within the Army’s Rules of Engagement in keeping up with professionalism.
Said he: “The Nigerian Army went to the tollgate with both blank and live ammunition,” Taiwo told the panel.
General Taiwo further emphasized that carrying both blank and live ammunition is part of the table of Equipment for internal Security Operation as well as part of the rules of engagement for soldiers during such IS operations.
He advised Nigerians and stakeholders to beware of the antics of agents of both local and foreign destabilization who are bent on using the EndSARS plant seeds of discord in the nation.
The statement reads:
“The attention of the headquarters 81 division, Nigerian Army has been drawn to news items on both the social and mainstream media insinuating the troops of the Nigerian Army contradicted its evidence of firing blank ammunition when it also carried live ammunition for internal Security on the 20th October 2020.
“We hereby state unequivocally that carrying both blank and live ammunition is part of our table of Equipment for internal Security operations.
“It is part of the rules of engagement for soldiers on internal Security operations to carry both blank and live ammunition .
“The use of any of these ammunition as stated in our rules of engagement depends on the level of threat at the operational area.
“Please note that one of the principles of internal Security operations is the use of minimum Force. Minimum Force itself is a function of the assessment of the Commander on ground.
“In this circumstances, the Lekki Toll Gate, the Commander on ground assessed that there was no need to use live ammunition. That was why only blank ammunition was used at the Lekki Toll Gate.
“The blank ammunition was fired into the sky and not at the protesters.
“The results are all glaring as there was no fatality recorded. This has been corroborated by BBC reports and other reputable news media outfit.
“The use of blank ammunition/minimum Force achieved the aim of dispersing the hoodlums and crowd.
“It is pertinent to reiterate that the Nigerian Army is a law abiding institution that actis in tandem with her rules of engagement.
“We therefore wish to advice all stakeholders to guide against being used by local and foreign agents of destabilization who do not wish this country any good.
This online medium recalls that the #EndSARS protests began as ordinary protests by those who felt aggrieved about the methods of the Special Anti Robbery Squad, SARS, a unit in the Nigeria Police Force saddled with the responsibility of attending to high tech crime. It gradually snowballed into national showdown.
After several days of endless protests, the Army, in a patriotic sense, waded in especially when hoodlums hijacked the peaceful protests across the country. About same period, touts and hoodlums that hijacked the peaceful exercise of fundamental human rights have succeeded in vandalizing corporate entities and individual business enterprises.
Military formations especially police stations were burnt down. Officers were killed and many civilians died.
In the estimation of economic experts, the economy was grounded and businesses worth millions of dollars were lost.
The development party resulted the economic recession the country has slide into
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