Former Minister of Information, Lai Mohammed, has reiterated that soldiers deployed to the Lekki Tollgate during the October 2020 EndSARS protests were issued blank ammunition, insisting that no massacre occurred at the site.

Speaking on Channels Television’s Sunrise Daily, Mohammed defended the position of the Federal Government under former President Muhammadu Buhari, emphasizing that while casualties occurred in various parts of Nigeria during the protests, the Lekki Tollgate was not among them.

“At no point did the Federal Government say there were no casualties during EndSARS; there were casualties. We reported them, we admitted them. Thirty-seven policemen lost their lives. Six soldiers lost their lives. People died in Alimosho, people died everywhere, but there was no massacre at the tollgate,” Mohammed said.

He further stated:

“Soldiers were issued blank bullets when they went to the Lekki Tollgate. The whole idea was to disable protesters. As of today, to the best of my knowledge, there was no massacre at the Lekki Tollgate.”

Mohammed criticized international media reports, including CNN, claiming they relied on poorly sourced information. He also highlighted that no bodies were reportedly found at the tollgate, questioning the characterization of the incident as a massacre.

Despite these claims, the EndSARS Judicial Panel of Inquiry established by the Lagos State Government had previously described the Lekki Tollgate incident as a massacre, reporting that Nigerian Army officers fired live bullets into crowds of unarmed protesters, resulting in injuries and deaths.

Mohammed said he reviewed the Lagos State panel report and maintained regular communication with military leadership during the operations, including the Chief of Army Staff and the Chief of Defence Staff.

“Tell me one person who says my daughter or my son was at the Lekki Tollgate and didn’t come back home. It’s five years on,” he added.