And working with the Balkan Investigative Reporting Network, CNN has established that several of the bullets from the Lekki toll gate originated from Serbia. Separately, Dr. Ayo Aranmolate, executive medical director at Grandville medical center, told CNN he and his colleagues received around 15 injured people that night with various gunshot wounds and cuts. Why are you doing this," she said. Video supervised by Rosie Tomkins and Dan Wright. One eyewitness, Sarah, whose last name we're not publishing for her safety, told CNN that the soldiers shot in the air but also directly at protesters. Police had agreed to disband the controversial unit but protests continued. October 22, 2020. Eyewitnesses told CNN they saw the army remove a number of bodies from the scene. "Please explain to me how, in which part of the world, do you go to a protest with live bullets," she said. Download Vanguard News App. Until the panel concludes its investigation, the subject will not be open to any discussion or comment by any State official," the spokesperson said. ", As the live broadcast ends, people are still trying to apply CPR on the man in red, while DJ Switch can be heard saying, "this guy is dying.". However, the 81 Division of the Nigerian Army had said contrary to insinuations, soldiers who stormed the Lekki toll gate were invited by the Lagos State Governor, Babajide Sanwo-Olu. ", "They are shooting anything that moves outside...Stay safe through the night. Videos examined by CNN show the army trucks approaching the protesters from both sides of the toll gate -- barricading them in. CNN has seen some of the messages received, though it is unclear who is sending them. The deceased has since been buried in his hometown in Mubi Local Government Area of Adamawa State, and Aiyedun Olufunmi Grace, whose brother died at LASUTH after suffering gunshot wounds to the head. Multiple eyewitnesses told CNN that ambulances were prevented from reaching the scene by the authorities. The army has denied that anyone was taken to hospital with gunshot wounds, and that they only shot into the air. This story contains graphic imagery of injury and death. Verified video footage -- using timestamps and data from the video files -- shows soldiers who appear to be shooting in the direction of protesters. Chairman of the Lagos State Judicial Panel on Restitution for victims police brutality, Justice Doris Okuwobi, disclosed this on Tuesday while ruling on an application filed by the Lekki Concession Company. I repeat no way. READ our Privacy-policy and cookie policy. Lekki, a relatively affluent suburb of Lagos, and the toll gate became a focal point of the movement. It will be recalled that men in military uniforms stormed the scene of the protest at the Lekki Toll Gate on Tuesday evening and shot at many of them. The first scene that comes to mind is white police officers firing at unarmed protestors. In response, on October 20, hours before the shooting, Governor Sanwo-Olu imposed a strict curfew starting at 4 p.m. following looting and vandalism in other parts of the state. "They pointed their guns at us and they started shooting," she said. Lagos state government has paid forensic experts to unearth the truth of what happened at the Lekki toll gate on October 20, 2020. (vitag.Init = window.vitag.Init || []).push(function(){viAPItag.display("vi_949932995")}). Moe Odele, a prominent lawyer who was giving legal advice to demonstrators arrested during the protests, says she was recently prevented from leaving the country after her passport was seized. One of the person that visited the venue of the panel is Mr Nathaniel Solomon, whose younger brother Abouta Solomon was said to have been shot dead at the toll gate. Muhammad A. Aliyu Follow on Twitter October 27, 2020. *ready to build estate -by 2nd toll gate off lekki epe expressway, lagos state* _if you desire an affordable property in a built-up environment with ongoing_ _infrastructural developement and secure_ _neighbourhood_ _then invest_ in this *location:* 2nd toll gate , off lekki epe expressway *security: the* estate is in a very secure environment and free from all encumberances. Someone in the crowd says, "you will live, you will not die. Breaking: 15 victims of Lekki Tollgate shootings storm Lagos panel. There were peaceful marches, candlelight vigils, multi-faith prayer sessions and DJ performances that attracted backing and solidarity from celebrities, the Nigerian diaspora and supporters around the world. This is the latest message contained in a new paper published on January 13,... Two officers were injured while breaking up an illegal party with 200 guests in London, British police said on Saturday. It was later moved to 9 p.m. to allow commuters to get home. Transport workers, Agberos etc using those roads for legitimate business lost their right to use the roads. Technical Feedback: whatsapp 08023469027 The attention of the Lagos State Police Command has been drawn to a viral video of a protest at Lekki Tollgate, Lagos State, purported to have been staged today — Lagos State Police Command (@LagosPoliceng) December 7, 2020 WhatsApp. We have those who constantly seek to drive a wedge between us and between the citizens of Nigeria...". The 81 Division of the Nigerian Army has said it deployed soldiers to Lekki tollgate on the invitation of Lagos … CNN's calls to the Nigerian army have not been returned. "One of the victims had to have his leg amputated.". However, when I watch the footage of the Lekki Toll Gate Massacre in Lagos, I think of all the ‘race riots’ and similar massacres in American cities against Black Americans (who most likely have ancestry in West Africa). The Lagos State Government has employed the services of forensic experts to unearth the truth of what happened at the Lekki toll gate on October 20, 2020 during the #EndSARS protest. However, human be... By Dele Sobowale    “We are depressed, very depressed. He was shot in the back," DJ Switch, 29, told CNN, as she tried to talk during an interview while crying. For 24 hours, only essential service providers were to be allowed on the streets of the 20-million strong city. A Lagos State police spokesman declined to comment because of the ongoing panel investigation. Speaking in front of the judicial panel, the army spokesman Brigadier Ahmed Taiwo continued to deny that anyone was shot. ", "I couldn't count how many dead because I was running for my life.". OUR planet is dying faster than we realise. While CNN has not been able to independently verify that SARS members were present, multiple eyewitnesses said they saw police officers, accompanied by officers from the unit, at the scene after the army left. Legend, who survived, told CNN his father was a police officer and that he recognized the SARS uniform. By the next morning, Okon was out searching for him. Since Elisha Sunday Ibanga learned of his brother's death, he has been visiting hospitals in a desperate search for his remains. Photo editing by Sarah Tilotta. "They were shooting in the air, they were shooting at us, they were shooting everywhere. Export documents CNN has seen show that Nigeria purchased weaponry from Serbia almost every year between 2005 and 2016. The shooting started almost immediately, with no warning given. The person on the other end of the line -- a stranger -- broke the news that Ibanga's brother, Victor, had been shot dead at the Lekki toll gate, in Lagos, Nigeria, where he had been peacefully protesting against police brutality earlier that night. "Please explain to me how, in which part of the world, do you go to a protest with live bullets. Facebook Twitter Pinterest WhatsApp Telegram Print. An eyewitness to Victor Sunday Ibanga's death told CNN the 27-year-old entrepreneur was shot in the head during the protest. It is not known whether these were dead or injured protesters. 0. Lagos State Government has hired forensic experts to probe the shooting of #EndSARS protesters at the Lekki toll gate on October 20, 2020. But on November 14, during a judicial inquiry into the shooting, army representative Brigadier Ahmed Taiwo said, "There's no way officers and men will kill their brothers and sisters. After the army withdrew from the scene, members of the police, including the SARS police unit -- disbanded by authorities on 11 October -- moved in, according to multiple eyewitnesses CNN spoke with. The shooting in Nigeria during a protest last month against police brutality at the Lekki toll gate in the commercial hub, Lagos, led to condemnation across the world. The widespread looting and damage that occurred across Lagos in the aftermath of the Lekki toll gate shooting has led to the authorities clamping down on people who took part in the protests. Do NOT follow this link or you will be banned from the site. The army has continued to restate that they did not fire live rounds. Two ballistics experts have also confirmed with CNN that the shape of the bullet casings indicate they used live rounds, which contradicts the army's claim they fired blanks. Twitter. 14 of them were said to have been shot at Lekki Toll Gate on October 20, after the announcement of curfew by the governor, while one was said to have been shot at Ojodu Berger. "We can't go out, our jobs are on hold right now, and it's really sad because we did nothing wrong. At one point during the broadcast, there were attempts to resuscitate a man in red clothing who had passed out. Sometime after midnight on October 21, Elisha Sunday Ibanga answered a phone call from his older brother's number. The most expensive flat costs ₦2,580,000,000 per annum while the cheapest costs ₦300,000 per annum. Updated January 5, 2021 A file photo of Lagos State Governor, Babajide Sanwo-Olu. On the night of 20 October 2020, Nigerian Armed Forces shot at unarmed protesters at the Lekki toll gate in Lagos, Nigeria. Grace told Vanguard that after her brother’s death, the hospital authorities changed the story and said he died of COVID-19. The full names of some interviewees and the identities of others have been withheld for their safety. Demonstrators protest police brutality at the Lekki toll gate on October 20. Flats for Rent Around 2nd Toll Gate, Lekki, Lagos The average price of flats for rent around 2nd Toll Gate, Lekki, Lagos is ₦1,700,000 per annum. The Nigerian Army has denied allegations that it shot at peaceful protesters, saying it merely fired blanks into the air to disperse stone throwers. CNN has obtained and geolocated a photograph of Victor's body lying in a pool of blood and wrapped in the white and green of the Nigerian standard -- one of the same flags gripped by fellow protesters earlier in the evening as they sang the country's national anthem. Video animations by Agne Jurkenaite and Ignacio Osorio. Testimony from dozens of eyewitnesses and family members interviewed by CNN and a forensic examination of hours of video and dozens of photographs captured before, during and after the two shooting incidents show how a fledgling protest movement was all but extinguished by the very thing Nigerians were demonstrating against. The Nigerian Army has denied being involved in the massacre of peaceful protesters that occurred on Tuesday evening at the Lekki Toll gate despite leaked footage from the unfortunate scene showing uniformed soldiers carry out the killings.. DJ Switch told CNN that protesters lifted bodies with bullet wounds and put them at the soldiers' feet. Injured people whom CNN has confirmed were present at the toll gate started arriving in local hospitals -- carried by civilians -- from 7:19 p.m. while the shooting was still ongoing, according to videos analyzed by CNN. This one was manufactured in Serbia in 2005, and is currently in use by the Nigerian army. "He expressly told me: 'I am acting on orders from above.'". The shootings at Lekki toll gate followed weeks of "#EndSARS" protests against police brutality that had burst onto the streets of cities across Nigeria. Chairman of the Lagos State Judicial Panel on Restitution for Victims of Police Brutality Justice Doris Okuwobi revealed this on Tuesday while ruling on an application filed by the Lekki Concession Company. Lekki, a relatively affluent suburb of Lagos, and the toll gate became a focal point of the movement. "There was a guy that was running, and he just... he fell, and we looked at him. Kindly Share This Story: By Onozure Dania. "The person told me that the police took his body away," Ibanga, 24, told CNN. "I couldn't count how many dead because I was running for my life," Legend said. On December 4, 2020 1:52 pm In SARS Update by David O Royal. 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The protests at the Lekki toll gate have been mostly peaceful, with demonstrators singing the national anthem, staging sit-ins, and praying. But rights group Amnesty International release statement on Wednesday say na at least 12 pipo dem kill for Alausa and Lekki Toll Gate shooting for Lagos on Tuesday. The videos capturing some of those 101 minutes tell a story of terror and chaos. The bodies of other protesters are nowhere to be found. The movement quickly widened beyond police brutality to other grievances -- capturing the frustrations of a young population demanding an end to bad governance in the oil-rich country. Edited by Blathnaid Healy. About 200 protesters remained at the toll gate when witnesses say police and SARS arrived, he added. Less than three hours after the original curfew time came into effect, army trucks left the Bonny Camp barracks on Victoria Island and headed towards the toll gate plaza and the protesters, according to videos reviewed by CNN. The governor has denied this, saying he does not have the authority to call in the army. But police have denied any use of force against protesters on Twitter, saying, "....our police officers never resorted to use of unlawful force or shooting at the protesters.". "I didn't want anybody to come on and twist the story. About 15 protesters who suffered gunshot wounds during the #EndSARS protests in Lagos today stormed the Lagos State Court of Arbitration and Mediation in Lekki, venue of the Lagos State Judicial Panel of Enquiry and Restitution for Victims of SARS related abuses and other matters. The army also said at the hearing that it was the governor who called soldiers to the scene because the police were overrun. Lekki Toll Gate became popular more than Secretariat where Government could directly be met. In a video obtained by CNN and geolocated to Lekki toll gate at 2:36 a.m., one eyewitness, Legend, whose second name we're not publishing for his safety, can be seen with the Nigerian flag around his head saying, "...my hand is broken, my leg is broken, and police are still shooting at us. Lekki Toll Gate Shooting: Lagos Burns as Gbajabiamila Contradicts Gov Sanwo- Olu On Casualties. Nicknamed the … But local authorities have downplayed that account. In several of the videos, reviewed and verified by CNN, some of the protesters can be seen carrying bodies, the flashlights on their phones the only thing illuminating the darkness as the sound of ambulance sirens wail in the background. It would be the fourth time it was being disbanded. Using metadata, CNN geolocated the image to the protest location at 6:50 pm. Two eyewitnesses told CNN they saw soldiers arriving in a Toyota Hilux pickup truck with "OP Awatse" written on it -- the name of a joint military task force that operates in Lagos State. CNN has examined bullet casings found at the scene and confirmed with current and former Nigerian military sources that the bullet casings match those used by the army. This was disclosed by the Chairman of the Lagos State Judicial Panel on Restitution for victims of SARS and police brutality, Justice Doris Okuwobi, on Tuesday while ruling on an application filed by the Lekki Concession Company. CNN has verified that bullets fired at Lekki toll gate are from live ammunition. Some security operatives including police, soldiers and officers of the civil defence have stormed Lekki toll gate in Lagos state to prevent a second phase of #EndSARS protests. The country's central bank has obtained a 90-day court order freezing the accounts of those who took part in the demonstrations. DJ Switch said she wanted people to see what was happening which is why she started broadcasting. By Stephanie Busari, Nima Elbagir, Gianluca Mezzofiore and Katie Polglase Video by Barbara Arvanitidis, Muhammad Darwish and Oscar Featherstone, Updated 2205 GMT (0605 HKT) November 19, 2020. Lekki Toll Gate Given the COVID-19 pandemic, call ahead to verify hours, and remember to practice social distancing "fourth lane from right is the quickest during Prime Time traffic ." 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However, about 10 days into the protests, the demonstrations were hijacked by "thugs and sponsored hoodlums" who attacked protesters, causing deaths and injuries, according to Amnesty International Nigeria. The Nigerian Stock Exchange, NSE, on Tuesday, said it compensated no fewer than 49 investors who suffered pecuniary loss... Italy ordered the Chinese-owned TikTok to make sure young children aren’t using its app, after the death of a 10-year-ol... By Owei Lakemfa HUMANITY was given the earth as a sustainable security. What happened on October 20, and into the early hours of October 21, at the eight-lane Lekki toll gate -- a key piece of Lagos' road network -- has stunned the country. Okon said she wants the Nigerian authorities to tell her if her brother is alive and detained or dead. Lekki toll-gate shootings: Lagos govt called us to intervene – Nigerian Army. The Lekki-Ikoyi toll gate is currently on fire. Facebook. This comes after some persons were allegedly killed after security agents fired gunshots to disperse #EndSARS protesters at Lekki tollgate Watch videos from the scene below. I wanted people to see. "We're hiding because our lives are in danger," an eyewitness named Sarah told CNN. Later, DJ Switch can be seen helping to extract a bullet lodged in another man's thigh as he screams in agony. The protesters who were present have told CNN it was a "massacre" with multiple people killed and dozens wounded. None of the people they treated died, he added. The Lagos state government will fund the forensic examination of the Lekki toll plaza "I said, why are you killing us? Map by Natalie Croker and Henrik Pettersson. But in Lekki, that’s not true. Ibanga confirmed the photograph is of his brother. Nigerian soldiers attacked peaceful #EndSARS protesters at the … Many feel they are being scapegoated for taking part in peaceful protests -- wrongly blamed for the looting -- and fear has descended on the movement since the shooting. She says he didn't know anyone at the protest and had never been to one before. I can't find him," she said. Peace Okon, 24, hasn't seen her younger brother Wisdom, 18, since he went to the protest the night of the shooting. "My mother, my sisters, all my family are in prayer, just to see if we can find out and know where my brother's dead body is," he said. "Talking about that subject now will be sub-judicial since the matter is already before a panel of inquiry. EndSARS: 14 protesters allegedly shot at Lekki Toll Gate visit Lagos panel. And if I don't make it through the night let it be known that I died fighting for our freedom, for what we believe in.". The youth of Nigeria found their voice in 2020 with the rise of the End Sars protests against police brutality. Her brother had only moved to Lagos a few weeks before the protest -- Okon had helped him find a job as a cleaner at a bank. A Nigerian newspaper and Online version of the Vanguard, a daily publication in Nigeria covering Nigeria news, Niger delta, general national news, politics, business, energy, sports, entertainment, fashion,lifestyle human interest stories, etc. The Lagos State Government has paid a huge sum of money to forensic experts to unearth the truth of what happened at the Lekki toll gate on October 20, 2020. When contacted by CNN to share the findings of this investigation, a Lagos State government spokesman declined to comment. The army said their soldiers were unaware of the change to the later time, according to the army spokesperson's testimony to the eight-person judicial panel on November 14. Lekki toll gate shootings: What really happened? In the immediate aftermath of the shooting, the army denied any involvement, describing reports of the incident as "fake news," before backtracking and saying that soldiers were present but fired their weapons in the air and used blanks, not live rounds. The timeline for when the curfew was imposed has become a point of contention between the Governor and the military. Panic ensued as protesters attempted to flee. 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