EndSARS: Police will never allow violent protests again, IGP vows

Adamu made the declaration during a meeting he had with the Commissioners of Police across the country in Abuja for a review of the recent #ENDSARS protests which became violent after it was hijacked by hoodlums.

At the meeting, the first physical one with the senior officers in months because of the COVID-19 pandemic, Adamu said the police would never allow any kind of violent protest again in any part of the country and are prepared to face anyone that attempts to disrupt the peace.

He made the declaration just as the Minister of Information and Culture, Minister Lai Mohammed, issued a statement criticising the Cable News Network (CNN) over its report on the protests, saying the American television station is now struggling to justify its inaccurate presentation.

Adamu, at his meeting with senior police officers, noted that criminals seized the opportunity provided by the EndSARS protests to get back at the police for bringing them to justice.

He said: “Criminals who have been threatening our commonly held values for peace and who, in furtherance of our mandate were brought to justice or are subject of ongoing police actions, saw an opportunity in the protests to take their revenge and attempt to weaken the foundation of policing in this country.

“These sets of people found partnership in the subversive elements whose agenda was not propelled by genuine advocacy for police reform but the galvanisation and instigation of unsuspecting citizens into an uprising that was directed at endangering our democracy for their parochial political agenda.

“In consequence of the violence that resulted from their actions, several lives of police personnel and other security agents and innocent civilians were lost and many injured. In addition, many public, corporate and private assets were burnt, vandalized or massively looted while several police facilities and operational assets were attacked.”

He commiserated with the families of the 38 officers who lost their lives during the protests and others who might have died or injured in the course of serving the nation as police officers.

“I assure you that the Nigeria Police will continue to support you, and the first act in this regard is the approval of special promotion for all officers affected by the EndSARS protest,” he said.

The IGP said the meeting was meant to review the general security situation in the country as the year winds down, evaluate the progress made and challenges experienced in relation to their policing mandate as well as project into the future as they advance internal security management responsibilities.

He added: “As the frontline internal security agency, the Nigeria Police has through the years been grappling with major and complex internal security situations, particularly the activities of terror elements, bandits, kidnappers, armed robbers, cultists, cyber criminals and other highly organised national and transnational criminals protests, as well as challenges brought about by the ENDSARS.

“As Commissioners of Police across the states of the federation and the FCT, you all practically experienced the consequences of the ENDSARS protest. Your experiences and the strategic approach to preventing and managing such civil unrests in future shall form part of our discussions in the course of this conference.

“I must note, however, that I am elated that with the leadership you provided in the field during the crisis, you were not only able to professionally handle the ENDSARS protesters, you also assisted the Force leadership in making giant strides in our drive to guarantee a stable security order in the country.”

He said with Christmas fast approaching, there is immediate need for the police chiefs to review their security architecture across their various commands and formations, and ensure the optimal deployment of personnel to cover all identified vulnerable areas towards ensuring a peaceful Yuletide.

Information and Culture Minister Lai Mohammed yesterday fired a fresh broadside at the CNN over its report on the #ENDSARS protests, saying the American television station is now struggling to justify its inaccurate presentation.

He said that Federal Government’s petition to the organisation’s management on the matter has unsettled it.

Mohammed spoke against the backdrop of CNN’s clarification of its October 23, 2020 tweet in which it reported that “at least 38 people were killed” when soldiers allegedly opened fire on unarmed #EndSARS protesters in Lagos.

“Clarification: This tweet from October 23 did not attribute the death toll from protests in Nigeria to Amnesty International. The tweet also did not make it clear that the death toll was for protests across the country,” the television station said on Thursday.

But addressing members of the Broadcasting Organisation of Nigeria (BON) at a meeting in Abuja yesterday, the minister said CNN has acknowledged receipt of the letter from Nigeria and government is now awaiting its formal response.

He advised Nigerian broadcast stations to avoid the pitfalls that have combined to land CNN in trouble.

He said broadcast stations must resist the temptation of using unverified materials.

He also warned against using unverified information from social media as they are fraught with danger.

He said two of the three local stations that were recently penalised in the aftermath of the violent protest have paid up their fines while the third one made part payment with an undertaking to pay the balance later.

He said CNN was “caught in the web of fake news and disinformation after it relied heavily on videos it took from social media for a supposed exclusive investigation on the incident at the Lekki Toll Gate on October 20.

The minister said: “The station was also found to be inconsistent. After tweeting, without a shred of evidence, from its verified handle on Oct. 23rd that soldiers killed 38 peaceful protesters at the Lekki Toll Gate on Oct. 20th, the same station now said only one person was killed – after a month of its investigation. What an embarrassment!

“It is baffling that an organisation like CNN will rely on unauthenticated videos to carry out an investigation.

“More worrisome is that an international broadcaster like CNN will switch casualty figures so casually without a credible source.

“This is why we have written a letter to CNN asking it to use its own internal mechanism to probe its investigation. We have received an acknowledgement of our letter, saying the letter has been referred to CNN’s Editorial Team.

“We await the outcome of their probe, but that’s without prejudice to whatever we may decide to do as a government.”

Mohammed vowed that the federal government would not “sit by and allow any news organisation, local or foreign, to set Nigeria on fire with irresponsible and unprofessional reporting.”

Continuing, he said: “Since we sent our letter, CNN has been grasping at straws in desperation to justify its inaccurate and unbalanced investigation. But in the process, it is sinking more and more into professional infamy.

“Yesterday, Nov. 26th that is, in the clearest indication yet of its confusion over the Lekki Toll Gate incident, CNN tried to clarify its tweet of Oct. 23rd by saying it never attributed the death toll of 38 to Amnesty International and that the tweet also did not make it clear that the death toll was for protests across the country.

“Commentators on the tweet tried to redirect CNN to the issue: which is its tweet of Oct. 23rd in which it said ‘At least 38 people were killed in Nigeria on Tuesday (Oct. 20th) when the military opened fire on peaceful protesters.’

“This is very unambiguous and CNN is exhibiting panic by seeking to clarify its tweet some 35 days later!

“Instead of engaging in such panic, CNN should come clean by admitting that it goofed badly on the Lekki Toll Gate incident.

“But the big lesson to draw from CNN’s faux pas is that it magnifies the failure or inadequacy of our own broadcast organisations.

“In the wake of our spat with CNN, people are asking: Why didn’t our own broadcast stations take the lead in reporting the incident at Lekki? Why didn’t they take the lead in presenting an authentic narrative? Why must we allow the foreign broadcast stations, some of which didn’t even have correspondents on ground, to dictate the pace, thus misleading the world?

“These are questions begging for answers and I think for BON, this must form part of their review of the coverage of the whole crisis.”

Minister of Works and Housing, Babatunde Fashola, may be invited to aid investigation into the incidence of October 20 during which some #ENDSARS protesters were allegedly shot by the military.

The hint was dropped in Lagos yesterday during the cross examination of the Managing Director of Lekki Concession Company (LCC), Abayomi Omomuwasan, by counsel to #EndSARS protesters, Adesina Ogunlana, before the Lagos Panel on Restitution for Victims of SARS and Related Abuses.

Answering questions from Ogunlana, the LCC managing director said he was not part of those that went on an inspection of the Lekki Toll Gate with Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu after the October 20 incident.

Ogunlana had asked the LCC boss: “Where is the surveillance camera that was found by one of the ministers, ‘agent Fash’ in the entourage that was reported in the media and which also went viral on social media?”

But Omomuwasan responded that it was not to his knowledge.

Ogunlana followed by making oral application to the chairman of the panel, Justice Doris Okuwobi, that Fashola be invited to assist the panel in its investigation.

Justice Okuwobi ruled him out of line, saying his request did not follow due process.

In his response, he said he would do the needful, stressing that the presence of the minister has become necessary to tell everyone what happened to the camera he reportedly picked up at the Lekki Toll Gate.

Omomuwasan also said that more than 15 surveillance cameras which were installed last year were burnt during the October 20 incident while the tolling camera were all recovered.

Counsel to Lagos State Government, Abiodun Owonikoko (SAN) disagreed with Ogunlana that the panel should watch the full video footage of what happened between 12.00 am and 8.00 pm at the Lekki Toll Gate incident again.

Owonikoko reminded him of the decision earlier agreed upon by parties to watch the footages related only to the incident that happened between 5.00 pm and 8.00 pm on October 20.

Olukayode Enitan (SAN) aligned himself with the submission of Owonikoko.

Ruling on the matter later, Justice Okuwobi held that the fact that the panel was to investigate events of October 20 does not mean they cannot look at what happened before it.

She stressed that their mandate is not limited to what happened between 5.00pm and 8.00 pm.

She directed Ogunlana to apply for the footage he wanted to watch.

The matter was adjourned till December 11 for continuation of hearing.

The Managing Director of Lekki Concession Company (LCC), Abayomi Omomuwasan, yesterday told the Lagos Panel that he was not happy that the company lost a lot of money during the occupation of the Lekki Toll Gate by #EndSARS protesters.

Omomuwasan stated this while under cross examination by counsel to #EndSARS protesters, Ogunlana, before the Lagos panel investigating SARs abuses.

A dialogue ensued between Ogunlana and Omomuwasan as follows:

Q: How much did the company lose?

A: This is the business of the company. 

Q: Did you lose money?

A: It is obvious when the company does not collect toll, it is losing money.

Q: How much?

A: That is our business 

Omomuwasan further said that LCC was in the business of infrastructure development and road toll management.

The LCC managing director said aside from protests that occurred in 2010 and 2011, he was not aware of any other protest in the area.

He also said he was not aware if military men were used for intervention during past protests.

He said the LCC was originally owned by some private investors but that Lagos State government bought the company 100 per cent in 2014 but retained its limited liability status.

THE NATION