The Minister of Information and Culture, Lai Mohammed, on Tuesday, insisted that there was no “massacre” at the Lekki toll gate on October 20, 2020.
Mohammed, who also described the leaked report of the Lagos State panel as fake, stated this at a press conference in Abuja on Tuesday.
The nine-member panel had in its leaked report alleged that at least nine persons were killed at the Lekki toll plaza when soldiers and policemen stormed the scene to disperse protesters on October 20, 2020.
However, Mohammed described the allegations as “tales by moonlight”.
“Without mincing words, let me say that never in the history of any Judicial Panel in this country has its report been riddled with so many errors, inconsistencies, discrepancies, speculations, innuendoes, omissions and conclusions that are not supported by evidence,” he said.
“What is circulating in public space is simply a rehash of the unverified fake news that has been playing on social media since the incident of October 20, 2020.
“It is simply incredible that a Judicial Panel set up to investigate an incident has submitted a report laden with allegations, the same allegations it was set up to investigate in the first instance.
“Instead of sitting for all of one year, the panel could have just compiled social media ‘tales by the moonlight’ on the incident and submitted, saving taxpayers’ funds and everyone’s time.
“That report is nothing but the triumph of fake news and the intimidation of a silent majority by a vociferous lynch mob.
“The report of the panel in circulation cannot be relied upon because its authenticity is in doubt. There is absolutely nothing in the report, circulating, to change our mind that there was a massacre at the Lekki tollgate.”
The minister said the notion that soldiers and police officers massacred innocent Nigerians at Lekki tollgate should be rejected.
“The report in circulation is calculated to embarrass the Federal Government and its agencies without foolproof evidence,” Mohammed said.
“The federal government has never condoned the abuse of the rights of Nigerians by security agencies under any guise, hence it disbanded SARS.”
