Nigeria Army fired live bullets at Lekki Toll Gate protesters – CNN investigation reveals

Forensic investigations by CNN has revealed that the Nigerian military fired live bullets at peaceful protesters at the Lekki toll gate on October 20, 2020.

Recall that Brigadier Ahmed Taiwo of the Nigerian Army told the Judicial Panel set up by the Lagos State Government that the soldiers only fired blank ammunition at the peaceful unarmed protesters.

However, current and former military sources, as well as ballistic experts, have confirmed to CNN that the bullet casings found at the scene of the shooting were live rounds.

While verified videos showedu victims with gunshot wounds, the executive medical doctor at the Grandville medical centre, Dr Ayo Aranmolate confirmed that he and his colleagues received up to 15 injured people with various gunshot wounds- which negates the military’s testimony that no live bullets were fired and blanks cannot cause any serious damage to life.

The #Endsars protest took a violent turn across the country following live footage of soldiers shooting at unarmed protesters at the Lekki toll plaza on the night of October 20.

When the news first broke, the army initially denied deploying soldiers to attack #EndSARS protesters at the Lekki Toll Plaza, terming several of such reports as FAKE NEWS via its official Twitter handle.

Speaking at the judicial panel set up by the Lagos State Government, Brigadier Ahmed Taiwo said “there’s no way officers and men will kill their brothers and sisters. I repeat no way. We have those who constantly seek to drive a wedge between us and between the citizens of Nigeria…”

The truth behind the shooting of protesters at the Lekki Plaza remains a mystery as families are yet to find the bodies of the victims allegedly killed on that night.

According to the eye witness account of DJ Switch who streamed the shootings live on Instagram, the bodies were dropped at the feet of the soldiers who took the dead bodies away.

Without evidence, it would be hard to prove a crime has been committed. As investigations into the Lekki shootings continue, it remains to be seen if eyewitnesses and families who lost their loved ones at the Lekki toll plaza would speak up, despite government’s apparent clampdown on #endsars protesters.