The Lagos State Governor, Babajide Sanwo Olu has insisted that no deaths have been recorded, following an alleged shoot out at protesters in Lekki tollgate.
He made the statement at a press briefing on Wednesday, October 21, 2020.
Nigerian military personnel allegedly fired upon some unarmed protesters in Lagos calling for an end to police brutality on Tuesday evening.
Over 40 persons may have been killed during the protest, according to media reports from Nigeria.
Babajide Sanwo Olu, however, said these reports are false.
“Once we pray for the swift recovery of the injured, we are comforted that we have not recorded any fatality as against widespread circulation on social media. Both I and the leadership of my Ministry of Health have been going around.”
“We went round all the hospitals last night, we went around the mortuaries to see and monitor for ourselves what is happening. It is therefore relevant to let you know that we have also visited the hospitals that took in these patients. Ten patients were at the General hospital in Lagos. Eleven patients were at the two locations both in Lekki and Victoria Island and another set of four patients were later transferred to Victoria Island and Naija area.”
Reaction to ‘Black Tuesday’
The Nigerian army has denied the reports its men opened fire on unarmed protesters and promised to investigate the issue.
It tagged several news reports on Twitter relating to the incident as “fake news”.
An indefinite 24-hour curfew has also been imposed on Lagos and some other regions.