Lekki Tollgate: Mohammed insists no massacre, says soldiers fired blank bullets

Former Minister of Information, Lai Mohammed, has maintained that the shooting incident at Lekki Tollgate during the October 2020 EndSARS protests was not a massacre, stating that soldiers were issued blank bullets. Speaking on Channels Television’s Sunrise Daily, Mohammed emphasized that while there were casualties during the protests, including 37 policemen and six soldiers, there was no evidence of a massacre at the tollgate.

Mohammed criticized international media coverage, particularly CNN, for relying on “poorly sourced stories” and claimed that the incident has been misrepresented. He argued that the lack of bodies or fatalities at the tollgate contradicts claims of a massacre, stating “this is the only massacre in the whole world where there are no bodies”.

The former minister reiterated the federal government’s position, acknowledging deaths in other parts of the country during the protests, but maintained that the Lekki Tollgate incident was not a massacre. He challenged critics to provide evidence of fatalities directly linked to the tollgate shooting, saying “I challenge anybody to come and tell me today that ‘my son or my daughter was at the tollgate, he didn’t come back home'”.

Mohammed’s comments have reignited controversy surrounding the EndSARS protests and the government’s handling of the situation.