DHQ tackles Lagos ENDSARS panel, activists, others over report, comments

Chief of Defence Staff  Gen.Lucky Irabor has spoken sternly to Nigerians  making disparaging comments about the military following the findings in the recently released report of the Lagos state inquiry on October 20, 2020 Lekki shooting incident.

In the report released on Monday, November 15, the Nigerian Army was accused of killing or injuring some of the unarmed protesters at the Lekki tollgate on October 20, 2020.

Reacting to the Nov 15 Lagos ENDSARS panel report, Irabor said the pael report was released though the wrong channel—social media.

“Whether it is a true report, I can’t tell but I like to indicate that the normal procedure is to have such a report submitted to the convening authority and then there will be a white paper that will be presented, based on which one can make informed comments,” he said Nov 16.

“I will like to indicate that the armed forces of Nigeria is a professional armed forces. We were peopled by Nigerians and we are committed to constitutional mandates. We do not at this point think that Nigerians should make disparaging remarks regarding the armed forces of Nigeria, in the sense that we are a professional armed forces.

“If there were issues, of course we will address them within the ambit of the provisions. It will not be wise to disparage men and women who have worked so hard to ensure that the territorial integrity of this nation is kept intact. ‘

”If Nigerians don’t trust us then we wouldn’t be doing what we are doing. It is the armed forces of Nigerians. We are not talking about the police.

“When the armed forces are called out, it is because there is a need for the armed forces. There is no one that does not require to live in peace and so we need to understand that the armed forces are there to keep the peace,” he said.

Activists, lawyers, journalists have described the report and the panel as vindicating the uproar that Nigerian youth threw up following the October 20. 2020 violence between the youth and security agents, especially the police.

The National Daily reported SERAP is suing President Muhammadu Buhari over the report finding.