“Those that had suffered casualties during the gunshot need to answer some questions too,” said Mr Tinubu. “How were they there? How long were they there? What kind of characters were they?“ – Tinubu
The APC chieftain, Bola Tinubu, has raised questions regarding the character and presence of “those who suffered casualty” following the shooting by Nigerian soldiers at Lekki, Lagos State, on Tuesday.
Witnesses say soldiers opened gunfire on unarmed protesters at Lekki toll gate, one of the key #EndSARS protest sites in Lagos, on Tuesday, but the casualty level remains uncertain.
Following the shooting, the Nigerian government got ensnared in increased international attention as the U.S. government, the International Criminal Court, the United Nations, and the European Union raised concerns about the use of lethal force against unarmed protesters by the military. The military has not taken responsibility for the gunfire but the Lagos State Government has announced a probe.
The shooting served as an immediate trigger for unprecedented mob attacks on public asset, private businesses, and media houses in Lagos on Wednesday, and helped motivate anarchic violence in other states, where hoodlums have looted and razed property.
Television Continental, Max FM and The Nation newspapers believed to be owned by Mr Tinubu, were razed by mobs on Wednesday in Lagos. Several police stations, public buses were set ablaze and businesses were looted.
Speaking when he visited the Governor of Lagos State, Babajide Sanwo-Olu, on Saturday, Mr Tinubu said the victims of the Lekki shooting had questions to answer.
“Those that had suffered casualties during the gunshot need to answer some questions too,” said Mr Tinubu. “How were they there? How long were they there? What kind of characters were they? Even if we want to help, we must extract information that will help the government to prepare in future or understand when and where to react.”
Mr. Tinubu, who called Mr Sanwolu-olu, who is 55-year old, “a youth” was responding to a question on state support for victims. He said, “we had to segregate the calendar” and said “those who suffered casualty before the protests” will be accommodated by the judicial panel announced by the state.