Army deployed at least seven vehicles to Lekki Tollgate, CCTV reveals Lekki Shooting: Nigerian

Military says troops had ‘blank and live ammunition’
The footage from Lekki Tollgate was played prior to the cross-examination of Ahmed Taiwo, the Commander of the 81 Division, Military Intelligence Brigade, Victoria Island.
The Nigerian Army deployed no fewer than seven military trucks to the Lekki Tollgate on the evening of Oct. 20, the day unarmed #EndSARS protesters were shot by the military.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that this was revealed by CCTV footage of the incident which was played by the Lagos State Judicial Panel of Inquiry for Restitution for Victims of SARS Related Abuses and Other Matters.
The footage was played on Saturday prior to the cross-examination of Ahmed Taiwo, the Commander of the 81 Division, Military Intelligence Brigade, Victoria Island.
It was played before a packed audience at the panel, and the timestamp in the video showed people running from the vicinity of Oriental Hotel towards the direction of the tollgate in the Lekki area at 6.43pm.
At 6.45pm, the military arrived and at least seven trucks are seen in the footage.
At 6.53pm, lights appeared to have been turned off at the tollgate facility and the footage began playing in a blurry black and white video.
At 6.55pm, the military drove through the tollgate and at 6.57pm, flashes of gunfire could be seen in the footage.
At 7.09pm, the protesters appeared to be surrounded on all sides by the military vehicles which had flashing lights.
Earlier during proceedings, the Chairman of the panel, retired Justice Doris Okuwobi, had noted that during the hearing of Nov. 6, 20-hours worth of footage presented by the Lekki Concession company (LCC) was given to Mr Adeshina Ogunlana, the lawyer for the #EndSARS protesters.
Mr Okuwobi noted that the lawyer had on that day informed the panel that he would sift through the footage and select the portions that would be relevant to his case.
Responding, Mr Ogunlana told the panel that he had watched the footage and had noted the parts of the video that are of interest to him.
“LCC has furnished us with the footage and we have taken our time to reach out to the counsel of LCC and the Lagos State Government.
“We agreed that subject to their acceptance, all we watched is the same until 5pm and we should limit viewing from 5pm to 7.59pm when the tape ended,” Mr Ogunlana said.
The counsel for LASG, Mr Abiodun Owonikoko (SAN) aligned his views with Mr Ogunlana’s submission.
“The relevant portions of the footage which is from 5pm to 7.59pm should be viewed,” he said.
Meanwhile, the Commander of the 81 Division of the Nigerian Army, Brig. Gen. Ahmed Taiwo, has disclosed the roles played by Lt.- Col. S.O. Bello and Brig.-Gen. F.O. Omata during the shooting at the Lekki Toll Gate in Lagos State.
Following the End SARS protest, soldiers had reportedly shot and killed soldiers at Lekki toll gate on October 20, 2020.
However, Taiwo said Bello who was the Commander on ground had given the order for the soldiers to shoot in the air, NAN reports.
Taiwo who is a military witness disclosed this during cross-examined at the Lagos State Judicial Panel of Inquiry for Restitution, on Saturday in Lagos State.
He stated that Bello was the Commanding Officer of the 65 Battalion which was at the Lekki tollgate on the fateful day and Omata was also present at the scene with him.
“When I called Bello he said that while they were being deployed, they were attacked by hoodlums and they released some shots into the air.
“Bello had arrived the scene first before Omata, as the whole 81 Division Garrison had been given the mandate to secure the whole Eti-Osa corridor.
“Omata had left Obalende to meet up with Bello and patrol the whole area,” he said.