LAGOS: Why I turned down LCC’s application to repossess tollgate -Chair, judicial panel

THE Chairman of Judicial Panel of Inquiry probing alleged killing of #EndSARS protesters by soldiers at the Leki tollgate, Justice Doris Okuwobi (rtd), has turned down the application of the Lekki Concession Company, operator of the tollgate, to repossess the facility shut down in the wake of the incident.

Okuwobi hinged the decision of the panel on the unavailability of the report of the forensic examination of the protest ground.

She added that the panel is expecting the forensic experts hired saddled with the responsibility of examining the incident scene to submit their report on Tuesday.

The retired judge maintained that until the report of the forensic examination, which she claimed cost a “huge amount”, was received, the LCC could not be permitted to repossess the facility.

“It behoves the panel to await the (forensic) report before taking further steps with regard to the application of the LCC for repossession of the Lekki Toll Plaza.” Justice Okuwobi said while reacting to the application by the LCC counsel, Rotimi Seriki, demanding access to the facility.

The forensic experts could not submit their report on Friday, two days after the expiration of the 21 days given to them by the panel to execute the task.

The Lekki shootings have been shrouded in controversy, the Nigerian army had initially claimed that its officers were not at the incident scene.

Days after the incident the military backtracked and admitted that its men were invited to the protest ground by the Governor of Lagos State, Babajide Sanwo-Olu to maintain peace adding that only blank ammunition (not live) were fired during the operation and no protester was killed.

Meanwhile, some of the #EndSARS protesters at the tollgate when the shootings happened have maintained that soldiers shot and killed some of them on October 20, 2020.

To do justice to the matter, the Lagos State Government hired some forensic experts to search for evidence of live bullets or shells as well as blood of gunshot victims at the tollgate.