Lekki Tollgate: No Massacre, Soldiers Fired Blank Bullets — Lai Mohammed Insists

Former Minister of Information, Lai Mohammed, has again insisted that no massacre occurred at the Lekki Tollgate during the October 2020 EndSARS protests, stating that soldiers deployed to the scene were issued blank bullets.

Mohammed made the assertion on Monday while speaking on Channels Television’s Sunrise Daily, where he defended the handling of the protests by the Federal Government under former President Muhammadu Buhari.

According to him, the government never denied that casualties occurred during the EndSARS protests, but maintained that the Lekki Tollgate was not the site of any mass killing.

“Our position on EndSARS was very clear. At no point did the Federal Government say there were no casualties; there were casualties,” Mohammed said. “Thirty-seven policemen lost their lives. Six soldiers lost their lives during EndSARS.”

He noted that while deaths were recorded in several parts of the country, including Kano and Abuja, claims of a Lekki Tollgate massacre were unfounded.

“We admitted it. We gave the numbers of those who lost their lives in Kano, in Abuja, everywhere, but what we said and still insist on is that there were no massacres at the Lekki tollgate,” he stated.

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Mohammed criticised international media coverage, particularly by CNN, accusing the network of relying on unverified and poorly sourced reports.

“CNN was not at the Lekki tollgate. CNN relied on poorly sourced stories to write its story,” he said.

Describing the incident as unprecedented, the former minister argued that there was no physical evidence to support claims of a massacre.

“This is the only massacre in the whole world where there are no bodies. People died in Alimosho, people died everywhere, but there was no massacre at the tollgate,” he said.

He challenged critics to present evidence of victims allegedly killed at the site, noting that five years after the incident, no families had come forward to report missing relatives linked to the tollgate.

Mohammed further disclosed that soldiers were issued blank ammunition, which he said could cause injuries but not deaths.

“Soldiers were issued blank bullets when they went to the Lekki Toll Gate. The whole idea is to disable you,” he said, adding that “to the best of my knowledge, there was no massacre at the Lekki tollgate.”

He also said he reviewed the Lagos State judicial panel report on the incident and maintained constant communication with the Chief of Army Staff and Chief of Defence Staff during the protests.

Reflecting on the Buhari administration, Mohammed defended the 2021 suspension of Twitter (now X), arguing that the platform had become a tool for individuals seeking to destabilise Nigeria.

The EndSARS protests, triggered by demands to disband the Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS) over allegations of police brutality, remain a defining moment in Nigeria’s recent history, with annual commemorations still held to mark the Lekki Tollgate incident five years on.

Lekki Tollgate: No Massacre, Soldiers Fired Blank Bullets — Lai Mohammed Insists