Falana: We’ve identified the barracks of soldiers who shot protesters in Lekki
Femi Falana, human rights lawyer, says the Alliance on Surviving COVID-19 And Beyond (ASCAB) has identified the barracks of the soldiers who opened fire on protesters at Lekki toll gate in Lagos.
On Tuesday, soldiers opened fire on the protesters who blocked the toll gate while demanding an end to police brutality.
The issue sparked an outrage across the globe.
Speaking when he featured on ARISE TV on Monday, Falana, who is chairman of ASCAB, said the group has been able to trace the barracks where the soldiers came from.
“We have already identified the barracks where the soldiers left for Lekki, we have already identified the barracks,” Falana said.
“The President was likely to have been told, soldiers were ordered so I want to believe that’s why it was not addressed and they said it was a rumour but I think the facts are emerging now, that indeed soldiers went to Lekki, indeed they fired at protesters and indeed some of the protesters at least two have been officially acknowledged to have died from gunshot wounds.”
He said ASCAB would establish an independent panel of inquiry to investigate the October 20 shooting of protesters at Lekki toll plaza.
“ASCAB shall establish an Independent National Citizen’s Panel of Inquiry under a number of conditions Composition of the Citizen’s Panel of Inquiry shall comprise representatives of credible and identified organisations of the youth that took part in the #Endsars protest movement, including the Feminist Coalition, among others; representatives of credible and tested civil society organisations,” he said.
Falana also accused the federal government of having no respect for the rule of law and citizens rights to protest.
He said constant denials from the federal government and its agencies clearly does show Nigeria as a serious country.
“I have never seen it anywhere in the world where in the federal capital of a country where you have all the embassies, you have unmarked vehicles taking thugs round and it was being filmed and the thugs were being ferried by officials of the government and we are being told it’s not the State Security Service and in Lagos it was not the Nigerian Army that shot,” he said.
“Such denials do not portray Nigeria as a serious country, because it is the duty of the government anywhere in the world to trace those criminals and bring them to book.
“Nigerian government has no respect for the rule of law and have ensured they stave off all forms of protests in the country.
“Every designated venue for protest in the country have been fenced by government to prevent demonstrations. In Lagos, the Gani Fawehinmin square in Lagos has been fenced while the Unity fountain in Abuja has also been fenced, and the same government has said citizens have the right to protest.”
I fully support the course of the young Nigerians working for reforms not only in the police sector but the reform of governance in Nigeria. However I want the truth not what will falsely make people to angry yet not true. I need to ask some questions
1. Were shots directed at SARS protesters or to the air?
2. How many people have been reported dead and I am not supporting any need for our young people to be killed for flippant reason.
3. AK-47 is a powerful riffle. One magazine may contain up to 20 – 30 ammunitions. It is my view that if they were directed at the protesters, we would not see the fire and smoke going to the skies but horizontal. Please watch the videos of the shooting circulated.
4. Where are the parents of those supposedly kill. Let them come forward or since it is claimed that the dead bodies were carried away by the security, let those who lost their people and have not found them since come to the open.
We can’t correct errors of our governance in Nigeria by falsehood.
5. Was the shooting justified? I am cautious to give answer. There three things I will like to say. The first goes to our Leader His Excellency president Mohammed Buhari. I sincerely believe if he had come out and taken public leadership stance by publicly himself address the protesters nationwide the youth would have been persuaded. Yet he took the demands of the protesters and began to act on them but he needed to explain to the nation what he was doing.
To the protesters there was a need for reasonability. The need to work with trust in the leadership. It was evident and if there was any doubt there was room for investigation. Get some leaders among the protesters to meet with the the Federal Government to be sure the some thing is being done. But the end they protesters should have given the government the benefit of the doubt. Allow the leadership of the country to begin specific implementation of their demand. Leadership should have emerged to be the face of the protesters.
Obviously the protest est was open to hijack by the hudllums. They were already beginning to control the protest and causing damages. There was the tricky part. How do you respond to that without damage to the demands and lawful protest? Government should never allow that to happen. So where various leaders started pleading with the protesters to go home and hold the arms the government accountable, I believe they should do that. The protester’s themselves acknowledged hudllums had infiltrated them. And it was a matter of time for destruction to spark up.
I love Nigeria. I believe the youth rekindled a lifeline for restoring Nigeria back to the right path. But I believe we should do it with truth even when we are angry. We should not whip up negative emotion but inspire right and intelligent action.
I wish energy were directed to constitution reforms, design of vision for the country and building enterpreneudship etc.