Nigerian Army deployed soldiers to Lekki toll gate during the #EndSARS protest because Lagos had already descended into chaos, the Commander of the 81 Division, Military Intelligence Brigade, Brigadier General Ahmed Taiwo said on Saturday.
Brigadier Taiwo was speaking when he appeared before the Lagos Judicial Panel of Inquiry and Restitution for Victims of SARS Related Abuses and Other Matters.
He said the army leadership was displeased with Lagos State Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu, insisting they answered his call to intervene because major highways had been taken over by hoodlums, the looting of businesses, destruction of police stations and the killing of policemen.
Addressing the panel on behalf of the Nigerian Army, Brig.-Gen. Taiwo, said the military was unhappy with the governor due to utterances he made in the aftermath of the #EndSARS mayhem.
His words, “The Nigerian Army is unhappy with the governor over two things. The first instance is the denial that he asked us to intervene.
“He had called the Chief of Army Staff (COAS) Lt. -Gen.Tukur Buratai and the General Officer Commanding (GOC) after asking the Commander 9th Brigade to intervene, but the Commander could not intervene because procedure was not followed.
“The Commander 9th Brigade asked him to call the COAS and the GOC, Maj.-Gen Uwem, but the governor did not have the GOC’s number and neither did the GOC have the governor’s number.
“The GOC was on assignment in Abuja and saw a number of missed calls from an unknown number, and when he called back, they were able to speak at some point; but he had called the COAS,” he said.
Taiwo noted that it was after the phone call with the COAS, that the 81 Brigade of the Nigerian Army was ordered to enter into phase four of the internal security operations of the Nigerian Army.
He said that phase four was necessary because Lagos had already descended into chaos with blocking of major highways by hoodlums, the looting of businesses, destruction of police stations and the killing of policemen.
The Commander spoke further, “The second instance is when the governor said two people died and he said one person died in Admiralty Road due to blunt force trauma.
“Admiralty Road is about three kilometres from that place (Lekki Tollgate). He said they saw the police brought in a body to the mortuary in Yaba, Lagos. The distance from Lekki to Yaba is far,” he said. (NAN)
