The Olowu of Kuta in Ayedire Local Government of Osun State, Oba Adekunle Makama Oyelude, Tegbosun the Third, has faulted the CNN report on the #EndSARS protests as an attempt to stir up another round of unrest in the country.
He said in a statement issued by his media office in Osogbo, Osun State capital, on Wednesday that “the so called investigative report on the EndSARS Protest fell short of the standard that is known with the CNN over the years.”
Asking the CNN to allow the judicial panel set up by Lagos state government to conclude its findings, he said: “I think the CNN should unravel the truth that will help in finding lasting solution to the crisis instead of fueling it, albeit through Report that is neither here, nor there.
“It’s an incontrovertible fact that you cannot talk of massacre without dead bodies to corroborate the narrative. All those who were alleged to have died in the ‘massacre’ have come out to debunk it as the figment of the imagination of those who packaged the fake news.
“In fact, another well meaning Nigerian has challenged those who lost loved ones to come forward so that the matter should be resolved once and for all.
“While it’s a welcome development the attempt by CNN to carry out its lawful duty, it must also be in tandem with established protocol and convention.
“Media is a public trust and the popular dictum of ‘when you are in doubt, leave out’ must be upheld all the time as ethical standards.
“The Nigerian Army has been vilified by international organizations severally for carrying out its lawful duty within the ambit of the Law despite the transparency of its leadership.
“If the CNN is interested in unraveling the truth, it should make its finding available to the Lagos judicial panel instead of using old videos that have failed to pass integrity test to hoodwink the unwary.”
The CNN report had alleged that the Nigerian Army used live bullets on protesters during its intervention in the #EndSARS protests in Lekki, Lagos State contrary to official position.
But, repeatedly, the Nigerian Army has denied using live rounds, insisting that its soldiers used blank bullets and shot only into the air.
