Lekki Toll Plaza: No Allegations Against Nigerian Army – Kehinde SAN

By Lazarus Zakaa, Abuja.

A five-man legal team which represented the Nigerian Army at the Lagos State Judicial Panel of Inquiry and Restitution for Victims of SARS and related Abuses has yesterday 30 November, 2020 presented it’s report to the Chief of Army Staff (COAS), Lt. Gen. Tukur Yusuf Buratai, in Abuja.

The team, led by Mr. Akinyolu Kehinde, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN), had defended the Army before the Panel, which also probed the October 20 alleged Lekki massacre.

The report which contained five copies and two flash drives was presented to Buratai on Monday at the Army Headquarters in Abuja.

The COAS, represented by Lt. Gen. Lamidi Adeosun, Army’s Chief of Policy and Plans (COPP), said those who falsely and wrongly accused the Army of deploying troops to shoot innocent protesters at Lekki last month, must be ready to swallow their pride and apologize to the Army and the country, by the time the judicial panel concludes its fact-finding.

“We are also looking forward and hope that all the people who have accused the army so badly, will find the honour and grace in themselves, without preempting the Lagos State commission of inquiry, if it turns out that all the stories were made up to discredit the Army.

We are also looking up to a situation whereby most of those people will be honorable to swallow their pride and apologize to the Army and the country at large, for attempting to destroy their own Army and country, using false allegation and false accusation through the manipulation of social media,” he said.

Earlier, Kehinde, who said the Nigerian Army was not summoned as a respondent before the inquiry panel, added that no allegation was raised against the Army by any organisation or body.

The Senior Advocate of Nigeria, insisted that the Army did not own its own volition set out to intervention at Lekki toll-gate on October, but its troops were rather called upon to arrest the deteriorating situation.