Lekki Shooting: Nigerian Army Reveals Who Ordered Soldiers Deployment

Brig. Gen. Ahmed Taiwo, the Commander of 81 Military Intelligence Brigade, Victoria Island, Lagos, has said the Chief of Army Staff, Lt.-Gen. Tukur Buratai, ordered the deployment of soldiers that were accused of shooting EndSARS protesters in Lekki.

He stated this on Saturday while testifying at the Lagos State Judicial Panel of Inquiry probing the shooting of #EndSARS protesters by soldiers at the Lekki tollgate on the night of October 20, 2020.

According to Taiwo, Buratia ordered the deployment of soldiers undergoing training at military schools for the Lekki exercise due to the shortage of troops.

He said because “the 81 Division was short of troops, the Chief of Army Staff gave an extraordinary order that all Army schools should be shut down and everybody should be brought to the operation.”

General Taiwo said as an examiner of the Nigerian Army Intelligence, he had only a day before taught the trainee soldiers about internal security techniques.

He stated that he pointed out to them on the operation day how it was unbelievable that only a day after learning the rules, they were going for an operation in internal security.

Recall that following a curfew imposed by the Lagos State Government, soldiers of the Nigerian Army invaded a peaceful protest at Lekki toll gate on Tuesday evening, October 20, killing #EndSARS protesters in the process.

The army who initially denied involvement in the Lekki shootings, later disclosed that its officers were invited by the Lagos State Governor, Babajide Sanwo-Olu, to enforce the curfew imposed on the state.