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#EndSARS: Fake news peddlers mislead Wikipedia into claiming 120 died at Lekki

Published

3 years ago

December 1, 2021

The Wikipedia Free Encyclopedia has joined the long list of global victims of the vicious propaganda surrounding the #EndSARS movement and the phantom Lekki massacre.

The internet-based encyclopaedia medium was caught quoting 120 casualty figures for the Lekki massacre that never took place and attributing such falsehood to Amnesty International (AI).

Despite recent developments like the Lagos state government White Paper on the Panel Report which confirmed unequivocally that there was no such thing as the massacre at Lekki, Wikipedia has continued to mislead the world that 120 unarmed civilians were killed on October 20, 2020, at Lekki Toll Plaza.

Despite overwhelming pieces of evidence to the contrary, the narrative of 120 massacred victims is still on the Wikipedia site, PRNigeria can authoritatively report as of December 1, 2021, on its website: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2020_Lekki_shooting.

“On the night of 20 October 2020, at about 6:50 p.m., members of the Nigerian Army opened fire on unarmed #EndSARS protesters at the Lekki toll gate in Lagos State, Nigeria. Amnesty International stated that at least 120 protesters were killed during the shooting,” the website is claiming

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Meanwhile, PRNigeria in its best-selling book, “101 Fake News on #EndSARS”, reports that Amnesty International in its official press statement during the period only claimed that twelve persons were killed by men of the Nigerian army and police at two different locations during the EndSARS protests in Lagos.

The official statement from Amnesty International did not claim the 12 casualties were recorded at Lekki toll gate. It merely stated that: “The Nigerian Army and Police killed at least 12 peaceful protesters yesterday at two locations in Lagos… Lekki and Alausa.”

Meanwhile, Wikipedia also provides disclaimers on some articles on its website which may contain significant factual inaccuracies, i.e. information that is verifiably wrong.

It states that: “Wikipedia is not a reliable source for citations … Because it can be edited by anyone at any time, any information it contains at a particular time could be a work in progress, or just plain wrong.

“Edits on Wikipedia that are in error may eventually be fixed. However, because Wikipedia is a volunteer-run project, it cannot constantly monitor every contribution. There are many errors that remain unnoticed for hours, days, weeks, months, or even years. Therefore, Wikipedia should not be considered a definitive source in and of itself.”

PRNigeria gathered that the contributors of the misleading information are fake news peddlers whose contents have been exposed on various platforms through fact-checking systems.

Even the account of alleged “massacre” victims given by Justice Doris Okowubi (rtd) led Lagos State Panel on Restitution for Victims of #EndSARS and other matters vary from that of Wikipedia – despite the panel’s reliance on the same platform for the definition of the term “massacre.”

On page 294 of the Panel Report, it concludes that what happened at the infamous Lekki Toll Gate incident could be likened to a “massacre” following which it gave Wikipedia’s definition that, “a massacre has been defined as the killing of multiple individuals, which is considered to be morally unacceptable especially when perpetrated by political actors against defenceless victims.”

However, while the panel attempted to rely on Wikipedia’s definition to contextualise the term massacre, its claims that at least nine persons were killed by security agents when they allegedly stormed the Lekki toll gate on October 20, 2020.

Controversy has continued to surround the leaked unauthorised version of the report with so many inconsistencies and irreconcilable errors in the submission.

Meanwhile, Lagos State Government has rejected the report of the #EndSARS Panel that there was a massacre in Lekki Toll Gate during the 2020 #EndSARS protest.

To the government, the panel failed to establish arbitrary and indiscriminate killing of protesters at the toll gate.

According to the 36-page White Paper released on November 30, 2021, the panel’s findings “are clearly and manifestly not supported by the evidence before the JPI as attested to by the JPI itself, when it said there was no contrary evidence to that of Prof. Obafunwa that only one person died at Lekki Toll Gate of gunshot wounds on 21st October 2020”.

Rejecting the recommendation, it said: “The state government is, therefore, unable to accept the finding that nine (9) people died of gunshot wounds at LTG on 20th October 2020.”

Recall that PRNigeria has reported that testimony by Dr. Babajide Lawson, a trauma and orthopaedic surgeon at Reddington Hospital, Lagos on the Lekki Incident as quoted in the Lagos State Judicial Panel of Inquiry report has been found to be altered in a re-presentation by the panel.

It also reported how the panel provided contradicting submissions on forensic testimony by the Lagos State Chief Pathologist, Prof John Oladapo Obafunwa, in its report.

PRNigeria also revealed that video footage from the alleged Lekki Toll Gate incident along with witness submissions from Sentinel Forensics Ltd, a Forensic expert engaged by the Lagos Judicial Panel of Inquiry did not prove allegations in support of alleged killings in the report.

Similarly, a United Kingdom-based medical forensics and ballistic expert Dieye Tonye Willie-Harry has berated both local and international media organizations for being unable to provide evidence to back up claims of massacre at the Lekki Toll Gate incidence.

Willie-Harry who is the Director of Oxygene Consulting UK Limited while testifying at the Justice Doris Okowubi (rtd) led Lagos State Panel of Inquiry on Restitution for Victims of SARS Related Abuses and Other Matters had on page 268 of the Panel report confirmed that contrary to widespread media coverage, all forensic investigations of media contents undertaken by his company did not prove direct shooting of unarmed civilians by the Nigerian Army.

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Dele Oyewale, the EFCC’s spokesperson, confirmed this to FIJ on Thursday.

“It is true,” Oyewale responded to FIJ’s inquiries.

Wabote is accused of misappropriating public funds for a refinery project that should have improved local energy production.

Vanguard reported that the NCDMB under Wabote paid $35 million to support the development of energy infrastructure in the Brass Local Government Area of Bayelsa, yet there was nothing to show for it.

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Since December 2020 when the payments were made, Akindele abandoned the project with little or nothing to show for the huge sum he received.

Preliminary investigations showed that Wabote’s NCDMB financed 17 different projects, including the 2,000 BPD refinery in Brass LGA.

There has been a series of public fund misappropriation cases in the energy sector in recent times.

FIJ earlier reported that members of the House of Representatives summoned three ministers to defend how over $2 billion was spent on renewable energy with not much to show for it.

A recent FIJ report also recently detailed how residents of Yenagoa, the capital of Bayelsa, have not had power in their homes since July due to the vandalisation of the Ahoada-Yenagoa transmission towers caused by unidentified persons.

The Bayelsa state government told FIJ it was the federal government’s responsibility to provide electricity for residents. The state has no renewable energy options reliable enough to power its capital despite the multi-million-dollar NCMB energy project.

Transparency in the energy sector has become necessary at a time when Nigerians have suffered power instability due to frequent grid collapses.

EFCC arrests ex-NCMB boss over $35m energy project fraud

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Court adjourns Yahaya Bello’s trial till Nov 27

Published

33 mins ago

November 14, 2024

Trends Admin

Yahaya Bello

Court adjourns Yahaya Bello’s trial till Nov 27

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has requested an adjournment in the new case against the immediate past Governor of Kogi State, Yahaya Bello, stating that the 30-day window for the previously issued summons is still active.

The commission has granted administrative bail to his co-defendants, Umar Oricha and Abdulsalami Hudu, and asked the court for an extension of time for Bello to appear.

At the resumed hearing before Justice Maryann Anenih of the Federal Capital Territory High Court, Abuja, EFCC Counsel Jamiu Agoro noted that the court’s order from October 3rd had not yet expired.

“In that wise, we feel it will not be appropriate for us to take proceedings while that 30 days is still running. So we have discussed and agreed to come back on the 27th day of November, 2024, my lord,” he told the court.

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He also mentioned that the previously set date of November 20th was not convenient for the prosecution counsels.

Counsel to the second defendant, Aliyu Saiki, SAN, confirmed that his client had been granted administrative bail by the prosecution and had no objection to the adjournment request. The third defendant’s counsel, ZE Abass, concurred.

The prosecution counsel also requested the court to allow the notice of hearing to be pasted on the last known address of the first defendant.

After hearing from all counsels, the judge granted the EFCC’s application for adjournment and the issuance of the hearing notice.

“I have considered the application for adjournment by the complainant and issuance of hearing notice and the submission by the second and third defendants. The application is granted,” she said.

Justice Anenih then adjourned the case to November 27th for arraignment.

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Chairman of the ICPC, Musa Adamu Aliyu, SAN

We are understaffed, ICPC boss laments

Musa Adamu Aliyu, the Chairman of the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC), has stated that the Commission is understaffed and under-resourced. Aliyu says this is limiting the commission’s efficiency.

According to a statement on the ICPC website published on Wednesday, Aliyu made this known on Monday while presenting the Commission’s performance scorecard to the Senate Committee on Anti-Corruption and Financial Crimes.

“Currently, we have 21 state offices, but they are severely understaffed and under-resourced, which affects our efficiency nationwide,” he said.

Aliyu mentioned that the ICPC suffered from inadequate funding, which hampers the pursuit of investigations, legal proceedings and public education efforts.

Cases involving politicians, where external influences can challenge the impartiality and integrity of investigations, are also some of the challenges bedevilling the ICPC.

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Aliyu cited slow court processes as one of the factors preventing the swift resolution of corruption cases and undermining public trust in anti-corruption efforts.

“Our work requires diverse expertise, from forensic analysis to psychology, yet rising living costs make it increasingly difficult to maintain high morale among staff. Reviewing salaries and welfare benefits is essential for sustainable productivity,” Aliyu said.

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