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  • News - South West - Lagos
  • Updated: November 22, 2020

Judicial Panel: Army Says It'll Respond With Gunshots If Attacked With Stones

Judicial Panel: Army Says It'll Respond With Gunshots If Att

The Commander of the 81 Division of the Nigerian Army, Ibrahim Taiwo, said that if the soldiers are pelted with stones they'd respond by shooting.

He said this before the Lagos Judicial Panel addressing the shooting incident at Lekki tollgate.

His comment follows the allegation that soldiers were pelted with stones by protesters upon their arrival at the tollgate.

Taiwo said that the military was at the tollgate to "ensure normalcy on the Eti-Osa corridor" and not to disperse the protesters.

He submitted that the protesters were peaceful, but further claimed that there were hoodlums "who sought to take advantage of the protest".

Taiwo said, “We had men and materials – vehicles and rifles for shooting. A portion of the force were carrying live bullets in case they are attacked. Another portion will carry magazines charged with blank ammunition.

“The soldiers will be using both live and blank bullets and in this particular case, we saw that this protest had been infiltrated by hoodlums.

READ ALSO: Lekki Shooting: Army General Says Sanwo-Olu Was 'Misinformed'

“We had peaceful protesters no doubt, but there were hoodlums who sought to take advantage of the protest.

“They were pelted just before Oriental Hotel, their response was to fire blank ammunition. They (soldiers) were stoned just as they dismounted.

“By the time they fired a few shots in the air, the hoodlums hightailed it. Our mission was not to clear the protest, we were just on our way to ensure normalcy on the Eti-Osa corridor.

“One officer was wounded, he was stoned on the lips. If we are attacked with stones, the only option is gunshots.”

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