Sanwo-Olu Speaks, Blames Lekki Shootings on Forces beyond His Control

Lagos State Governor, Babajide Sanwo-Olu, has ordered an immediate investigation into the shootings at Lekki, hours after he imposed a curfew in the state.

Men dressed in military gear opened fire on unarmed protesters at the Lekki toll gate around 7pm on Tuesday, October 20, leaving many dead, injured and hospitalized.

The lights and security cameras were turned off before the shootings began.

“Members of the Nigerian army pulled up on us and they started firing. They were shooting, they were firing straight at us and a lot of people got hit. I just barely survived,” says Akinbosola Ogunsanya, who was at the scene of the incident.

The protesters have been calling for an end to police brutality since October 4; and had blocked the Lekki-Epe toll gate, Lekki-Ikoyi Link Bridge and other major roads in Lagos, while staging sit-in, candle-lit processions for victims of police brutality.

The protests had turned violent and fatal in Lagos and across the country, however, with hoodlums hijacking the marches and burning down police stations for effect.