#EndSARS: Lagos demolishes community whose residents witnessed Lekki tollgate shooting

Members of the community witnessed the October 20 shooting of peaceful protesters by Nigerian soldiers and had provided details of the incident during a groundbreaking investigation by PREMIUM TIMES.

By Nicholas Ibekwe


The demolition of the shanty where eyewitnesses of the Lekki Toll Gate shootings lived

Officials of the Lagos State Environmental Tasks Force accompanied by policemen and persons suspected to be thugs have burnt down a community whose residents witnessed the October 20 shooting of peaceful protesters by soldiers at the Lekki Tollgate.

PREMIUM TIMES sourced some of its witnesses from the community for its groundbreaking investigation into the shooting, which revealed that soldiers and policemen shot directly at the protesters killing some and injuring several others.

After originally claiming that soldiers deployed to the tollgate to disperse the protesters were given only blank rounds and that “they merely shot in the air”, the army later admitted that the troops were carrying both live rounds and blank bullets.

Ahmed Taiwo, a major general, who represented the army at a judicial panel investigating the shooting, argued that the soldiers carried live rounds “because hoodlums had infiltrated the protest”.

Residents of the community also accused the divisional police officer of the nearby Maroko Police Division, Raji Ganiyu, of shooting and killing some of the protesters. Mr Ganiyu denied the allegation.

A 24-hours’ notice
Residents of the community who spoke to PREMIUM TIMES said policemen and some officials of the environmental task force, arrived at the community on Tuesday and told them to vacate their residences within 24 hours.

The residents, who asked not to be named for fear of being arrested by the authorities, said they were still trying to gather their belongings on Tuesday morning when a contingent of taskforce officials, mobile policemen and “persons that looked like thugs” arrived and immediately started pulling down structures in the community.

They said while a bulldozer was pulling downs the mainly makeshift houses, the thugs were setting fire to the fallen structures and the policemen chased residents who were still trying to salvage their belongings far into the banks of the lagoon, injuring some of them.

“People were scared and thought they were going to be arrested and ran towards the lagoon where they sustain deep cuts in their legs from broken bottles that were discarded there,” one resident said.

'Police mock residents’
Another resident said he and other residents were stopped and searched by the policemen who claimed they were looking for weapons hidden in the shanties.

He also said the policemen mocked residents of the shanty for participating in the protest and “for speaking to the media” after the indiscriminate shooting of peaceful protesters at the tollgate.

“They were laughing at us as we struggled to gather our properties. The policemen said: ‘Sheybi na una be ENDSARS protesters abi?’”

No comments
When reached for comment, the spokesperson of the Lagos State Environmental Taskforce, Taofeek Adebayo, asked for 30 minutes to find out why the community was demolished and burnt.

When he was reached later, he directed this reporter to the police for comment.

Muyiwa Adejobi, spokesperson of the Lagos State Police Command said he was not aware of the demolition but promised to find out. He is yet to revert on this.

https://www.premiumtimesng.com/news/headlines/441912-just-in-endsars-lagos-demolishes-community-whose-residents-witnessed-lekki-tollgate-shooting.html

Good for them.

I know they are not connected but fakenews media will try to connect them for controversies.

I commend the lagos state government for this act, i know many lagosians are tired of seeing slums that harbors criminals and threatens the safety of law abiding lagosians

ALL SLUMS HARBORING LIARS AND CRIMINALS MUST BE DESTROYED.

maybe or maybe not.the poster or let me say the commentator above me will say something common to him and his group.just wait for all of them they will soon bombard this tread.but for me, i am not a witness hence i have nothing to say.but truth can't disappear for ever

From the picture up there looks like Lekki itself is a glorified slum

Well in my own opinion, no responsible government would demolish a citizen property cause they were some kinda eye witness or something there's definitely more to this

Nigeria sha

So the residents for carry celotape take block their eyes from seeing road ni

thebosstrevor1:
Good for them.

I know they are not connected but fakenews media will try to connect them for controversies.

I commend the lagos state government for this act, i know many lagosians are tired of seeing slums that harbors criminals and threatens the safety of law abiding lagosians

ALL SLUMS HARBORING LIARS AND CRIMINALS MUST BE DESTROYED.

Did you read at all or you just wanted to comment? BTW, did I just see you throw a shade at liars, when you literally lie all day for Trump and Buhari.

Any sort of fake news is welcome on Nairaland..

I’ll confirm this offline..

Chai it's well

na wa o

Why did they Look?

thebosstrevor1:
Good for them.

I know they are not connected but fakenews media will try to connect them for controversies.

I commend the lagos state government for this act, i know many lagosians are tired of seeing slums that harbors criminals and threatens the safety of law abiding lagosians

ALL SLUMS HARBORING LIARS AND CRIMINALS MUST BE DESTROYED.

You have always been dull, there's nothing to see.

Here was our very first response to this MASSACRE thing from the very first day.

Here comes one of the few OBJECTIVE POST ON THIS THREAD

Even if it was just one (1) youth that was killed
It is a very BIG issue for some of us with brains and souls,
If it was 7 youths as it was reported by the genuine protesters at Lekki, it is still so sad,
and if it was 78 or 100 youths as it was circulated all over social media,
We deserve to know the whole truth as a nation.
So we can know how to table our matter to the international community.
We want to know what is true and what are lies.
We dont want to accept any lies from the Army and at the same time, We don't need some people (celebrities et al) fueling fake news on this heated country now.
We are not fighting against Nigeria,
We are fighting for Nigeria.
#IStandWithTheTruth
Some Nigerians are waiting for what is the truth.
#IStandWithAPeacefulProtest.
#AGoodCountryIsAllNigerianYouthsWant
Again,
We are not fighting against Nigeria,
We are fighting for Nigeria.


Conscience is an open wound. Only the truth can heal it.

The Good people of Nigeria deserve to know the WHOLE TRUTH of this Lekki issue now.
Heads must roll!

Up till now, many Good Nigerian citizens with an open mind don't know what to believe.........still!

But throughout the aftermath judiciary set up, no families came out to say their children or family members were killed, 78 alleged bodies for that matter!
May God help Nigeria and Nigerians.

Sanwo olu na devil

Tinubu na Satan

Nigerian government na the real village people. You see people succeeding ,your aim is to bring em down. God no sleep

Okay na

Sensationalization

This is Nigeria

tyup:
From the picture up there looks like Lekki itself is a glorified slum

Well in my own opinion, no responsible government would demolish a citizen property cause they were some kinda eye witness or something there's definitely more to this.

@the bolded, Exactly our thoughts.

Meanwhile
Still on this Lekki issue....

Wahala for who see wetin happen for Lekki

Nigeria is a jungle! But one day bush meat go catch the hunter.

klnlkn

This is so screwed up
At least the government should come up with an initiative to compensate them

Who cares!

Recently I haven't been proud of being a Nigerian.

thebosstrevor1:
Good for them.

I know they are not connected but fakenews media will try to connect them for controversies.

I commend the lagos state government for this act, i know many lagosians are tired of seeing slums that harbors criminals and threatens the safety of law abiding lagosians

ALL SLUMS HARBORING LIARS AND CRIMINALS MUST BE DESTROYED.

waisted seperm

That community is like another country , u won't believe there's such place in that area

Many activities do happen there ! Many do not know that place exist in Lekki , with seaside . Government will make a lot of money selling that place , sea view !