FG Rubbishes Report Of Lagos Panel On #EndSars Protests, Calls It Tales By Moonlight

By Ayodele Oni and Akinwale Kasali

After days of unsettling silence and tons of criticisms and calls for the resignation of President Muhammadu Buhari over the report of the Panel set up by the Lagos State Government on the bloody #EndSARS 2020 protest, the Federal Government has rubbished the report which is in circulation.

It outrightly rejected the report of the Judicial Panel of Inquiry that investigated  cases of police brutality as well as the incident of Oct. 20th, 2020, at Lekki Toll Gate, and dismissed it as “tales by the moonlight.” The Panel wasted funds and time, the FG declared.

Since the report which was very indicting of the Military and the handling of the situation by the Federal Government leaked, reactions  have been coming like claps of thunder  from across the world. The United Nations, United States of America, USA, Britain, among other global organisations, have expressed interest in it, asking the President Buhari Administration to see that justice is done.

In Nigeria, the reactions have been particularly stinging with calls for the resignation of Buhari and the Lagos State Governor, Babajide Sanwo-Olu, as well as their prosecution. There have also been petitions to the International Criminal Court, ICC, against Buhari and the leadership of the Nigerian Army at the time.

A member of the Panel,  Ebun Olu-Adegoruwa, SAN, has alleged a threat to his life, and, a witness , Miss Kamsiyochukwu Ibe, was on Sunday, attacked with  dangerous weapons after she had allegedly been identified as a witness.

But making the  Federal Government’s  stand known on Tuesday, the Minister of Information,  Lai Mohammed, stated that the report contained so many anomalies.

The Minister declared at a press conference:

“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 October, 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.

“Gentlemen, we have read some critical analysis of the report by a courageous few.

“One commentator, a lawyer, said it raised more questions than answers. Another commentator, a journalist, called it a ‘disgraceful report by a disgraceful panel’, saying it reported allegations instead of investigating the allegations.

“Yet another wondered how a Judicial Panel could use the words ‘massacre in context’ and equate such to a massacre.

“All these and many more have raised valid questions on that report. We salute their courage and refusal to be cowed by the rampaging lynch mob that has been screaming blue murder since the report was released.

“We do not intend to bore you by rehashing details of the discrepancies, innuendoes, inconsistencies and errors in that report.

“They are already in the public space. Let us, however, point out some key highlights of such discrepancies, errors, omissions, etc.

“The report threw away the testimony of ballistic experts who testified before it. The experts said, inter alia, in their testimony.”

The Federal Government has, since the incident, denied there were fatalities at the Lekki Toll Gate on the night soldiers dispersed the unarmed protesting youths. But the Panel, headed by Justice Doris Okuwobi said  nine people were shot dead, four missing and presumed dead, and 35 people injured.

Governor Sanwo-Olu has set up a five-man Panel on the report to produce a Whitepaper. Lagos State was the epicenter of the protest that caused the loss of lives, nationwide and the unprecedented destruction and looting of public and private concerns.