Having taken a critical look at the various videos and analyses by various persons on the purported Lekki massacre, doubts have been raised on the possibility of the videos being "doctored" (I wonder why the videos are not "nursed" ), and if the killing actually took place. Some people claim the sounds did not tally with the release of bullets.

Some people claim that the military fired blanks and flares to invoke fear, and did not hit anyone. Social media immediately went on fire and the hashtag #lekkimassacre was birthed. Some did live videos and showed the attempt by protesters searching for bullets in some of the protesters. The fundamental question is why didn't the military quickly denounce this if it was true they did not kill anyone? The military was also accused of taking bodies away. The military also refused to denounce this, if it was true. Having had a poor reputation in citizen engagement in the past, the least the military should have done would have been to quickly debunk all these. But they kept quiet.

That silence eventually set Lagos State on fire. TVC headquarters was torched, Vintage Press Limited (publishers of the Nation) was torched, LTV was torched, a BRT terminal was burnt, the NPA headquarters was burnt, some people claim Oriental Hotel was torched as well; the palace of the Oba of Lagos was desecrated, policemen were killed and some, burnt alive. Shops were looted and jobs were destroyed within 24 hours. When the arsonists and looters were on rampage, where were the soldiers who purportedly fired blanks? Where was the police? Where was the person who issued the orders?

Why were Tinubu's business interests targeted?

Sanwo-Olu knew the military was to be deployed, this is why he issued a curfew. What he should have done in addition was to provide BRT buses and make himself available there to plead with the peaceful protesters to return home in the buses. He failed in this regard. The celebrities should have made themselves available there to ask the protesters to leave.

The #EndSARS protests were initially by a crop of educated and exposed youth who had been victims or observers of police and government brutality, but there was an army of unemployed, frustrated and angry ones who needed to vent. Sadly, the actions of the army triggered their anger nationwide. I expected the army to have properly examined the possibility of a melee when they engaged the protesters with live or blank rounds and the resultant casualties. Force is not an effective conflict resolution tool. It is unusual to have the army engaging civil protesters, that is the job of the police. What happened to water canons? What happened to koboko? What happened to other forms of crowd control? Why live bullets? Why blanks?

The President is heavily complicit because his silence was a major factor that fuelled the protests and the carnage. If he had spoken earlier to quickly douse the tension, this situation wouldn't have degenerated. Until proper investigations are done, the person who gave the order to deploy soldiers miscalculated and is solely responsible for the breakdown of law and order. The resultant effects and everything else, including the policemen that received jungle justice and police stations that have been burnt, could have been avoided.

Even Lagos state government has confirmed deaths at Lekki protest... Definitely people died. I supported the whole protest initially until some thugs started burning police stations.

Take note, politicians and the government also sponsored thugs to disrupt protest so the blame is still on the government, not the protesters. All the looting and burning will be blamed on the government cos they were the ones sponsoring thugs to attack protesters, we all saw this.

But for now, the protests should be suspended till sanity is restored.

The military embraced the protesters, gave them some candies and left.
All those who support the killing of innocent young Nigerians, 600 years suffering awaits all of you

while i agree with you on some of the things that would have been done right.

Government is still culpable , they used thugs to infiltrate the protest and lost control of their mercenaries .

We saw them come to area10, organised the Barrow pushers, shoemaker, fruit sellers and the rest of them loitering between the complex and garden, they told them to not be afraid and just charge into them and scatter the protesters .

I guess, those boys weren't thuggish enough, they went out of town to get the real fierce , fearless and murderous thugs who eventually gave them there desired results.

Apo is still counting their losses.

lastly , those giving this protest a religion, political and tribal colouration should remember that Nigeria is all we have .

Ravern:
The military embraced the protesters, gave them some candies and left.
All those who support the killing of innocent young Nigerians, 600 years suffering awaits all of you

Chai, people dey think alike o. You just took the words from my mind. No, the soldiers came to the venue of the protest, hailed the protestants, asked them if they had eaten, gingered them with some food and beverage supplies and left. They even made sure they shook the hands of all the protesters. What a friendly battalion of soldiers they were!

Make una know wetin una go dey ask. People still dey vex.

Mtscheew

https://www.nairaland.com/6199985/debunking-claim-lekki-massacre-didnt happen