Protesters shot at Lekki tollgate have questions to answer — Tinubu
Demonstrators who fell victim to the shooting at Lekki Toll Plaza have some questions to answer, All Progressives Congress (APC) chieftain and former Lagos governor Bola Ahmed Tinubu has said.
Tinubu made the comments after visiting Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu on Saturday.Tinubu said he visited Sanwo-Olu to asked the governor to clarify who ordered the shooting on protesters at the tollgate on Tuesday night.
DJ Switch, who witnessed the shooting, put the death toll at 15. But Sanwo-Olu said he was yet to identify anyone killed at the tollgate. The governor also threatened to clampdown on social media accounts spreading fake news about the shooting.
The protesters were demanding an end to police brutality largely synonymous with the now-dismantled Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS).
“If he didn’t order the attack, who ordered the attack? That’s all I needed from him,” Tinubu said.
On the alleged victims of SARS and those of Lekki shooting, Tinubu said:
“We have to segregate the calendar – those who suffered casualty before the protests from the hands of SARS. You have to separate that from those who suffered casualty due to what happened at the toll gate.
“For those who suffered casualty from SARS, the Commission of Inquiry that is already set up will unearth that and will make their recommendations. I trust the calibre and the character of the people there, they are independent. That is one.
“Those who suffered casualty during the gunshots need to answer some questions too. How are they there? How long were they there? What kind of characters are they?
“Even though we want to help, we still must extract information that will help the government to prepare in future and understand how and when to react,” he said.
It was not immediately clear if Tinubu was referring to questions as to why protesters were at the tollgate or to questions about the nature and movement of the soldiers who attacked the demonstrators.
Tinubu also said that Sanwo-Olu was quick to take the demands of the demonstrators to President Muhammadu Buhari in Abuja who dissolved SARS immediately and was working on other aspects of the demands.
“That is responsive enough,” Tinubu said.
He then asked:
“But where are we getting the looting, the carnage, the burning, the invasion of police stations, stealing of arms, maiming of the innocent? It is a handshake beyond the elbow.”
Asked about his whereabouts in the past few days, Tinubu said, “I didn’t go nowhere; I’m a Lagosian and I still hold the title of Asiwaju of Lagos and I am still a Jagaban.
“Fake news is all over the place. They say Seyi my son was kidnapped and was chased but look at him. I didn’t pay a penny to bring him here.”
