BREAKING: South-west ministers demand probe of military over Lekki shooting

Post Date : November 4, 2020

Ministers from the south-west who were directed to relocate to their home states to douse the tension created by the #ENDSARS protests have presented their report to the federal executive council (FEC).

In the report presented earlier on Wednesday, they demanded a thorough investigation into the Lekki toll plaza shooting incident, particularly the role of the military.

Armed men in military uniform had invaded the protest ground at Lekki tollgate to forcefully disperse protesters.

The incident sparked an outrage within and outside the country, with controversy on whether people were killed or not.

They also called on the Federal Government to assist the Lagos State Government in restoring some of the public facilities destroyed in the aftermath of the recent #EndSARS protests in the state.

They identified 15 police stations, state High Court building, and others as parts of facilities destroyed during the period .

The Minister of Works and Housing , Babatunde Fashola , disclosed these to State House correspondents on Wednesday at the end of the weekly meeting of the Federal Executive Council presided over by President Muhammadu Buhari.

Fashola said he briefed the council , on behalf of his colleagues, how they executed the presidential directive of October 21, 2020 that ministers should visit their states and state governors .

The minister said after meeting with state governors from the zone , it was decided that being the epicentre of the violence, they should all visit Lagos State which they did.

On the shooting at the Lekki tool gate, Fashola added , “ We also urged the Federal Government to undertake a thorough investigation into what happened in the Lekki Toll Plaza, particularly the role of the military and ensure that the outcome is made public with a view to achieving closure on the matter .

“ We recommended that the Federal Government re -mobilise critical organs and agencies such as the National Orientation Agency and formal educational institutions to focus on ethical re -orientation , inculcation of family values into the school curriculum.

“ We recommended focus on etiquette , local reasoning , critical thinking , solution -seeking , empathy, self – respect , civic duty and human rights. ”

Fashola said the ministers from the South West also asked the Federal Government to actively seek and support the process of justice for all by ensuring that any of those apprehended and identified to be involved in the perpetration of this carnage be speedily brought to justice and fairly tried.

The minister added that the Minister of Youths and Sports , Sunday Dare, also visited the Lagos Island Hospital to empathise with seven persons who were reported to have been injured .

He said the minister also visited media houses to commiserate with them in the destruction of property .

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