Army Confirms Sanwo-Olu Invited Them; Denies Shooting |The Source

By Uche Mbah

The Nigerian Army has  confirmed they were invited by the Governor of Lagos state, Babajiide Sanwolu to control the looting and arson going on in the state.They, however, denied shooting protesters.

The Army had previously  denied being present at the Lekki grounds on the night of the shootings,  questioning the trending videos, saying it may have been photoshopped.

But in a recent interview with CNN, Sanwolu said the shootings were done by the military, but again questioned the reported number of casualties.

There were earlier reports attributed to the army that they were invited by the governor, and that about eight #endsars demonstrators were shot and taken to Bonny camp. This has not been independently verified, and the Army denies it. Sanwolu had blamed the shootings on “forces beyond my direct control”.

But in a statement, Tuesday, Osoba Olaniyi, Acting Director, Army Public Relations, claimed soldiers stayed away from the protests until they were invited by the Lagos government to restore order. But he denied soldiers shot protesters.

Read the statement:

“The attention of Headquarters 81 Division Nigerian Army has been drawn to a viral video on social media in which it was alleged that civilian protesters were massacred by soldiers at Lekki Toll Plaza. This  allegation is untrue, unfounded and aimed at causing anarchy in the country.

“At no time did soldiers of the Nigerian Army open fire on any civilian. From the onset of the END SARS protest, there was no time personnel of 81 Division Nigerian Army Lagos were involved.

“However, the decision to call in the military was taken by the Lagos State Government (LASG) after a 24- hour curfew was imposed.

“This was as a result of the violence which led to several police stations being burnt, policemen killed, suspects in police custody released and weapons carted away. The situation was fast degenerating into anarchy. It was at this point that LASG requested for the military to intervene in order to restore normalcy.

“The intervention of the military followed all laid down procedures for Internal Security operations and all the soldiers involved acted within the confines of the Rules of Engagement (ROE) for Internal Security operations.

“Finally, Headquarters 81 Division Nigerian Army reiterates Nigerian Army in the discharge of its constitutional responsibilities did not shoot at any civilian as there are glaring and convincing evidence to attest to this fact.

“This allegation is the handwork of mischief makers who will stop at nothing to tarnish the image of the Nigerian Army. The general public is hereby enjoined to discountenance this allegation as there is no iota of truth therein.”

Meanwhile, President Muhammadu Buhari has continued with stakeholders.