(UPDATE) Lai Mohammed dismisses Lagos #EndSARS report as fake news

Minister of Information and Culture, Lai Mohammed, has dismissed as fake news the report of the Lagos state panel that investigated the alleged massacre of peaceful protesters at the Lekki Toll Gate during the #EndSARS agitations.

The judicial panel of inquiry and restitution to investigate cases of police brutality and the incident of October 2020 recently submitted its report to the state governor, Babajide Sanwo-Olu, which was also leaked to the media.

Addressing a press conference in Abuja on Tuesday, the minister said the report is a rehash of already circulating fake news.

Mohammed maintained that instead of sitting for one year, the panel should have just compiled social media reports and wound up.

The information minister alleged that the report is ridden with discrepancies, innuendos, inconsistency and errors.

He wondered what the panel meant by its conclusion of “massacre in context,” declaring that it can only be a “phantom massacre.”

The minister remarked that the report did not make any recommendations for innocent victims killed in Lagos, saying that it cannot be relied upon.

Reading from a prepared text, he declared: “It’s no longer news that the Lagos State Judicial Panel of Inquiry that investigated cases of police brutality as well as the incident of Oct. 20th, 2020, at Lekki Toll Gate in Lagos has submitted its report.

“The submission happened while I was out of the country on national assignment. Unlike many commentators and analysts, we took our time to read and digest the report, and we are now well placed to respond.

“Without mincing words, let me say that never in the history of any Judicial Panel in this country has its report been riddled with so many errors, inconsistencies, discrepancies, speculations, innuendoes, omissions and conclusions that are not supported by evidence.

“What is circulating in public space is simply a rehash of the unverified fake news that has been playing on social media since the incident of Oct. 20th 2020. It is simply incredible that a Judicial Panel set up to investigate an incident has submitted a report laden with allegations, the same allegations it was set up to investigate in the first instance.

“Instead of sitting for all of one year, the panel could have just compiled social media ‘tales by the moonlight’ on the incident and submitted, saving taxpayers’ funds and everyone’s time.

“That report is nothing but the triumph of fake news and the intimidation of a silent majority by a vociferous lynch mob.”

While pointing out what he alleged to be the problems in the reports, the minister further stated: “The report never mentioned cases of police personnel who were brutally murdered or the massive destruction of police stations, vehicles, e.t c during the #Endsars protest.

“Does this mean that the panel didn’t consider policemen and women as human beings?

“The report didn’t make any recommendation on the innocent people whose businesses were attacked and destroyed during the protest in Lagos. I think it was too busy looking for evidence to support its conclusion of ‘massacre in context’.

“It is clear, from the ongoing, that the report of the panel in circulation cannot be relied upon because its authenticity is in doubt. Besides, the Lagos State Government,
being the convening authority, has yet to release any official report to the public. Neither has the panel done so.

“The cowardly leakage of an unsigned report to the public is not enough. Assuming the report in circulation bears any iota of genuineness, it is basic knowledge that the report of such a panel is of no force until the convening authority issues a White Paper and Gazette on it. It is therefore too premature for any person or entity to seek to castigate the Federal Government and its agencies or officials based on such an unofficial and unvalidated report.”

The minister also took a swipe at CNN and a section of the Nigerian media in their handling of the report.

According to him, “In its rush to claim vindication, CNN apparently didn’t even read the report before rolling out the drums in celebration. By that action, CNN has celebrated prematurely and has now committed a double faux pas: First, by relying on unverified social media stories and videos to carry out an investigation of the October 20th 2020 incident at Lekki, where it did not have a correspondent on the ground. CNN goofed in its report on the findings of the panel, which fell below the main standards of journalism.

“Secondly, CNN rushed to the air to celebrate an unsigned and unverified report that is riddled with inconsistencies, errors, discrepancies, innuendoes. That’s double faux pas by a news organization that is eager and willing to compromise standards just to claim vindication.

“Sadly, a section of the Nigerian media has also joined the lynch mob. Honestly, in an attempt to vilify the government at all costs, they have done themselves a great disservice. How can any news organization worth its salt write an Editorial validating this kind of report? Are they not seeing what others, including journalists and lawyers, are seeing?

“In a shocking twist, a Nigerian newspaper chose to hail what it calls ‘’detailed investigative report’ by CNN, even when the news channel did not even cover the incident of Oct. 20th 2020. It’s a classic case of cutting your nose to spite your face.”

He maintained that there was no massacre at the Lekki Toll Gate and therefore, the federal government had not changed it stance on the issue.

He added: “Gentlemen, there is absolutely nothing in the report that is circulating to make us change our stand that there was no massacre at Lekki on Oct. 20th 2020.

“For us to change our stand, a well-investigated report of the incident that meets all required standards and will withstand every scrutiny must be produced and presented to the public.

“The report in circulation does not meet those requirements. We also appeal to the families of those allegedly killed in Lekki to speak out. It’s untenable to say that some families did not come out because they are afraid. Any parent who is afraid to testify about the death of his or her child is not worth being called a parent.

“We reject the notion that our soldiers and policemen massacred innocent Nigerians at Lekki on Oct. 20th 2020. That conclusion is not supported by the weight of available evidence. Indictment for murder is a very serious issue that cannot be done on the basis of allegations and corroborations, as the panel did.

“Such allegations must be proved beyond a reasonable doubt. The report in circulation is calculated to embarrass the Federal Government and its agencies without foolproof evidence.

“The Federal Government has never condoned the abuse of the rights of Nigerians by security agencies under any guise, hence it disbanded SARS and encouraged states to set up the panels to investigate reports of human rights abuses allegedly committed by the disbanded SARS personnel.

“The 37 policemen and six soldiers who died across the country during the #Endsars protest are also Nigerians and should not be forgotten.

“Those who have engaged in premature celebration of the report in circulation should now go back and read it thoroughly and tell Nigerians whether it can pass any serious scrutiny.

“We are saddened that anyone died at all during the #Endsars protest as the life of every Nigerian and indeed every human is sacrosanct. As we have disclosed many times, 57 civilians, 37 policemen and six soldiers were killed across the country during the protest, and we commiserate with their families.”

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