President Muhammadu Buhari has finally broken silence over the report released by the Lagos State Judiciary Panel of Inquiry on Restitution for Victims of SARS Related Abuses and other matters that at least nine persons were confirmed dead at the Lekki toll gate when soldiers stormed the venue to disperse EndSARS protesters on October 20, 2020.
Buhari while playing host to the United States Secretary of State, Antony Blinken, at the presidential villa, Abuja said that the Federal Government will await the steps taken by states, before taking action on the report.
According to him, so many state governments are involved and have given different terms of reference to the probe panels.
He said, “We at the Federal have to wait for the steps taken by the states, and we have to allow the system to work. We can’t impose ideas on them. Federal Government has to wait for the reaction of the states.”
Daily Independent had on Monday reported that the Judicial Panel set up by the Lagos State Government to probe the alleged Lekki Toll Gate killings submitted its reports to Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu which indicated that indeed there was a massacre at the Lekki Toll Gate.
The 309-page report stated, “The atrocious maiming and killing of unarmed, helpless and unresisting protesters while sitting on the floor and waving their Nigerian flags and while singing the National Anthem can be equated to a massacre in context.”
Justice Doris Okuwobi-led panel, however, recommended that all army officers deployed in the Lekki tollgate should be made to face appropriate disciplinary action, stripped of their ranks and dismissed as they were not fit and proper to serve in any public or security service of the nation.
Speaking on the recent removal of Nigeria from the watchlist of countries violating religious freedom, Buhari expressed appreciation, noting that there was freedom of worship in Nigeria, and no one is discriminated against on the basis of his or her faith.
He said education is a priority in the country, “because when you educate a people, there are certain levels they will not fall below.”
He equally appreciated the United States of America for allowing Nigeria to procure military hardware to fight terrorism in the country, and for the training given to the Nigerian military.
“It’s helping us to stabilize the situation in the Northeast, and we’ve made a lot of progress since 2015.
“We are doing a lot on security, and the people involved appreciate our efforts.”
