Former Minister of Information and Culture, Lai Mohammed, has again insisted that soldiers deployed to the Lekki Tollgate during the October 2020 EndSARS protests were given blank bullets, insisting that no massacre happened at the location.
Mohammed stated this on Monday while speaking on Channels Television’s Sunrise Daily programme, five years after the protest that sparked nationwide outrage.
“Our position on EndSARS was very clear. At no point did the Federal Government say there were no casualties during EndSARS; there were casualties,” he said.
According to him, deaths were recorded in different parts of the country during the protests, including among security personnel, but not at the Lekki Tollgate.
“We reported them, we admitted them. Thirty-seven policemen lost their lives. Six soldiers lost their lives during EndSARS,” Mohammed said.
He stressed that while people died in places like Kano, Abuja and Alimosho in Lagos, the Lekki Tollgate incident was wrongly described as a massacre.
“What we said, and what we still insist on, is that there was no massacre at the Lekki tollgate,” he said.
Mohammed also criticised international media reports, especially a report by CNN, which he said relied on unverified sources.
“CNN was not at the Lekki tollgate. They relied on poorly sourced stories to write their report,” he stated.
Describing the Lekki Tollgate claims as strange, Mohammed said, “This is the only massacre in the whole world where there are no bodies.”
He challenged anyone to present evidence of a victim allegedly killed at the tollgate.
“Tell me one person who can say, ‘my son or my daughter was at the Lekki tollgate and never came back home.’ It has been five years,” he said.
The former minister revealed that soldiers deployed to the tollgate were issued blank ammunition, which he said could cause injuries but not deaths.
“I know for a fact that soldiers were issued blank bullets when they went to the Lekki Toll Gate. I’m not a ballistic expert, but to the best of my knowledge, there was no massacre there,” Mohammed said.
He added that he studied the Lagos State report on the incident and later addressed the issue at a world press conference after returning from France.
“I read it, I studied it, and I came back to explain what really transpired,” he said.
Mohammed also said he was in constant contact with top military commanders during the period.
“I was continuously in touch with the Chief of Army Staff and the Chief of Defence Staff throughout those operations,” he added.
Speaking further, Mohammed blamed social media misinformation for shaping public opinion on the incident.
“There was a lot of fake news and misinformation, but people prefer to believe there was a massacre,” he said.
He also explained that Twitter, now known as X, was suspended in 2021 because it had become, in his words, “a platform of choice for those who wanted to destabilise the country.”
The EndSARS protests were sparked by calls for the disbandment of the now-defunct Special Anti-Robbery Squad over allegations of police brutality.
Despite repeated denials by the Buhari administration, many protesters and activists continue to insist that soldiers opened fire on unarmed protesters at the Lekki Tollgate. Annual rallies are still held to mark the incident.
