Lekki shooting: Army ran from EndSARS panel because of guilt — Lagos lawyer
If the Nigerian Army was not guilty of killing protesters at the Lekki Toll Plaza last October, it would not have withdrawn from the public panel probing the matter.
This is according to Lagos-based human right lawyer Evans Ufeli.
On Saturday, military lawyer Akinlolu Kayode (SAN), who was represented by Samuel Agweh (SAN), informed the Lagos Judicial Panel about the disbandment of the legal team by the Nigerian Army.
Prior to the dissolution of that legal team, the military had boycotted the panel on three occasions.
Ufeli said the military is guilty of the allegations levelled against it, hence the need to run from justice.
“The conduct of the Nigerian Army is full of contempt,” Ufeli told the Foundation for Investigative Journalism (FIJ).
“From the onset, they have shown variation and layers of lies in their responses to the proceedings at the tribunal.
“The panel of inquiry was set up under an Act of Parliament and the action of the Army to jettison the sitting is against the oath they swore and a dereliction to their duties as a security outfit.
“By a large extent, the abscondment means they are guilty of allegations levelled against them. The most dangerous thing is that it shows they can take laws into their own hands and get away with it.”
The lawyer also hinted that he was ready to file a suit for the enforcement of the Fundamental Rights against the Army, FIJ reported.
On October 20, 2020, Nigerian soldiers allegedly opened live fire on protesters who had gathered at the Lekki Toll Plaza in Lagos to demand an end to police brutality.
The soldiers stormed the venue after Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu, who had declared a curfew to crush the demonstration, invited the army in. But the governor and the military initially denied any involvement or fatality.
