By Banji Ayoola
Olowu of Kuta in Ayedire Local Government area of Osun state, Oba Adekunle Oyelude Makama, has called on the Federal Government to probe the claim by Amnesty International that it tracked troops of the Nigerian Army from Bonny Camp to the Lekki Toll Gate on October 20.
He made the call in a statement on Thursday, appealing to the federal and state governments to intensify implementation of programmes and policies designed to empower millions of struggling youths across the country.
Amnesty International was in the news on Wednesday when it released what it called the timeline of troop movements to the Lekki Toll Gate during the EndSARS protests which later turned awry.
Oba Oyelude, who noted that Amnesty International had the right to operate legally anywhere, however contended that as an international NGO, the body claiming to have tracked troops of a sovereign nation and announcing same amounted to attacks on national security.
He added that as a Nigerian, he was worried that a foreign NGO could admit carrying out espionage activities against the Nigeria Army with an air of impunity.
He therefore asked the relevant authorities to probe the claim, and possibly extradite them from Nigeria “because I can’t imagine a foreign NGO operating in America to be so bold and claimed it tracked troops movement from Pentagon to a particular location and still remain on American soil.”
The royal father also appealed “for calm across the country while urging Nigerian youths to make their legitimate claims and ventilate whatever grievances they may have in future peacefully, stressing that it was in an atmosphere of harmony that progress could be achieved.”
He “commiserated with all Nigerians who lost loved ones and properties in the crises praying that God would wipe off their tears.”
He “also mourned security officers who fell in line of duty urging their services not to abandon the families left behind by the gallant officers.”
Oba Oyelude called “on all Nigerians to intensify prayers for peace to return fully to the country and appealed to the Federal and State Governments to keep the various promises they made to the protesting youths while the crises lasted.”
He “further praised the Patriotism of the Nigerian Army, the military leadership and other security agencies for quickly identifying subversive foreign elements like Amnesty international and thwarting their mischief.”
Chief of Army Staff, Lt Gen Tukur Yusuf Buratai
“We will not allow any force, elements or destabilizing agents in or outside our Country to set our beloved Country on fire.”
– Buratai, while addressing PSOs, GOCs and Field Commanders at the Army Headquarters in Abuja on Monday 26 October, 2020
Already, the Presidency has faulted Amnesty International’s report on the Lekki shootings as inaccurate and misleading.
In a story titled “Amnesty International’s Report On Lekki Shootings Misleading – Presidency” which was published by The Radiance earlier on October 29, the Presidency accused Amnesty International (AI) of projecting misleading and inaccurate details about recent events surrounding the #EndSARS protest and the attending chaos.
Special Adviser to the President on Media and Publicity, Mr Femi Adesina, who spoke Wednesday morning on Channels Television’s daily programme ‘Sunrise Daily’ said AI’s report on the crisis was inaccurate, misplacing facts and wrong in most cases.
Adesina said the narrative that the widespread chaos in various parts of the country, which had seen many policemen and civilians killed, police stations burnt, private and public properties looted and destroyed, was precipitated by the incident at the Lekki Toll Plaza on Tuesday, October 20, 2020, was generated by AI was a misleading narrative.
According to him, timeline of events showed that anarchic activities had commenced way ahead of the alleged shooting at the toll plaza, citing the jail breaks in Benin and Oko, the attacks on police stations and murder of police personnel in different places as pointers to the fact that the chaos that had recently pervaded the country were not just as a result of the Lekki incident.
Responding to a question that the looting was a fall out of the Lekki shootings, Adesina said: “You are not quite correct. You are falling for the narrative of Amnesty International. And Amnesty is wrong. Anarchy had broken loose before even Lekki. The prisons in Benin and Oko had been broken open before Lekki. Orile police station had been burnt before Lekki.
“Many policemen had been burnt before Lekki. So, you cannot say it was Lekki that precipitated all those things. Look at the timelines, look at when all those things.
“You will discover that it had happened before Lekki. So, you are falling for the gambit of Amnesty International.
“Amnesty International does not have all the facts, they don’t run this country. They shouldn’t know beyond what they have been told. They shouldn’t know more than you and I should know as media people, as watchers of developments,” he said.
When asked if it was the President’s thinking that Amnesty’s report was wrong, the presidential spokesman said Amnesty International had been known to always make unsubstantiated reports about Nigeria.
“Many times, the military has come out to dispute facts brought out by Amnesty,” he said.
The presidential spokesman revealed that President Muhammadu Buhari has ordered his Ministers to submit reports of their engagements with stakeholders in their various states over the recent chaotic events following #EndSARS within the next week.
The President, during last week’s Federal Executive Council (FEC) meeting, had directed the Ministers to go back to their home states and do everything to douse the tension across the country.
However, only two ministers had their reports ready as at Wednesday when the week’s FEC meeting was convened, which made the President to order a mandatory submission of reports to the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF) within a week.
Disclosing this during the programme, Adesina said “I can tell you because there was another Federal Executive Council meeting yesterday (Wednesday), the President asked for briefs from ministers who went out.
“Only two had their reports ready as at yesterday because some others were still in their respective states still carrying out their assignment.
“So, the President said all of them should turn in their reports through the Secretary to the Government of the Federation in the incoming week,” he disclosed.
Asked what to expect out of the reports, Adesina said: “Well, it can only be positive.
“One, it will help us to establish the truth to some things because there are a lot of conjectures, colourations, outright falsehoods, fake news and all that.
“The Ministers can come with what is near authentic based on the consultations they are going to make.”
Amnesty International’s Report
In the report titled “Nigeria: Authorities must stop attempts to cover up Lekki Toll Gate massacre – new investigative timeline”, published on its website at 09:17 UTC on October 28, Amnesty International had written as follows:
“The Nigerian authorities’ must end their attempts to cover up the Lekki Toll Gate massacre, Amnesty International said, as it released a new timeline investigating the atrocity one week later.
“The timeline – available here – collates photographs and video footage to confirm that Nigerian Army vehicles left Bonny Camp, a military base approximately a seven-minute drive from the toll gate, at 6.29pm local time on 20 October.
“Footage then tracks the vehicles to the toll gate. At approximately 6.45pm, the Nigerian military opened fire on the #EndSars protesters who were peacefully calling for an end to police brutality.One week on, the Nigerian authorities still have many questions to answer Osai Ojigho
“What happened at Lekki Toll Gate has all the traits of the Nigerian authorities’ pattern of a cover-up whenever their defence and security forces commit unlawful killings,” said Osai Ojigho, Country Director of Amnesty International.
“One week on, the Nigerian authorities still have many questions to answer: who ordered the use of lethal force on peaceful protesters? Why were CCTV cameras on the scene dismantled in advance? And who ordered electricity being turned off minutes before the military opened fire on protesters?
“The initial denials of the involvement of soldiers in the shooting was followed by the shameful denial of the loss of lives as a result of the military’s attack against the protests.
“Many people are still missing since the day of the incident, and credible evidence shows that the military prevented ambulances from reaching the severely injured in the aftermath.
“Amnesty International is again calling on Nigerian authorities to bring to justice those behind the shooting and to protect those who are exercising their right to freedom of assembly. The organization is still investigating the shooting, and the reported removal of bodies of those killed by the military in an attempt to remove evidence.
“Tracking the military’s movements
“Amnesty International’s Crisis Response experts investigated and verified social media videos and photographs that confirm the Nigerian security forces were present at the Lekki Toll Gate when the shootings occurred.
“At 6.29pm local time in Lagos, two military vehicles were filmed leaving Bonny Camp on videos shared on social media. Later footage shows four vehicles with flashing lights in a convoy, and they appear to be vehicles used by the Nigerian military and police.
The EndSARS protesters
“The same vehicles head east along Ozumba Mbadiwe Avenue – which changes its name to the Lekki-Epe Expressway – in the direction of the Lekki Toll Gate. On this route, the vehicles pass several international embassies and consulates, including the buildings of the Japanese Embassy and the Australian Consulate.
“Further photographs and footage capture the vehicles arriving at the toll gate, before the peaceful protest is disrupted by men in military uniform and gunfire is heard. As night time descended, protesters continued to film and share videos of the shootings. Later in the evening, videos of the victims were also shared on social media.
“Background
“Amnesty International has been monitoring developments across Nigeria since the #EndSars protest began on 8 October 2020.
“Nigerians have been taking to the streets, peacefully demanding an end to police brutality, extrajudicial executions and extortion by the Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS), a unit of the Nigerian police tasked with fighting violent crimes.
“At least 56 people have died across the country since protests began. In multiple cases, the security forces have used excessive force in an attempt to control or stop the protests.”
