By Ihechi Enyinnaya
The Nigerian Army insists that nobody died in the the shooting of #EndSARS protesters at the Lekki tollgate on the night of October 20.
This was stated in an affidavit submitted to the Lagos State Judicial Panel on police brutality set up by the state government.
Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu of Lagos had requested the intervention of the Chief of Army Staff, Lieutenant General Tukur Buratai to suppress the already brewing violence within some parts of the state according to
Brigadier General Ibrahim Taiwo, representing the army authorities.
According to the affidavit, Lieutenant Colonel Salisu Ovada Bello, the Commander of the 65 Battalion was at the Lekki Tollgate and had fired blank bullets into the air in order to disperse the protesters.
The commander explained that no one had died, adding that only two people fainted. The affidavit also explained that Brigadier General Francis Omata, who was also at the Lekki tollgate, confirmed later that evening that there were no fatalities.
Omata noted that live ammunition was not used.
The panel failed to sit on Saturday after members could not form a quorum. Chairman of the panel and retired Chief Judge of Lagos, Justice Doris Okuwobi said the youth representatives did not show up for today’s sitting.
Their absence may not be unconnected to the freezing of the accounts of 19 individuals and a public affairs company linked to the #EndSARS protests in which one of them, Rinu Odulala, a member of the panel is said to have been affected.
This denial is coming a day after a Federal High Court in Abuja granted the request of the Central Bank of Nigeria to freeze the said accounts as filed by the apex bank on October 20.
The court order directed the affected banks to freeze all transactions on the accounts for a period of 180 days pending the outcome of an investigation currently being conducted by the Central Bank of Nigeria(CBN).