Nigerian Lawyer Inibehe Effiong has claimed that former President of Nigeria Muhammadu Buhari was the one who ordered the October 20, 2020 Lekki Toll Gate Shooting, which led to the death of many Nigerians who were marching peacefully during the #EndSARS.

In a passionate interview on ARISE NEWS on Monday, Effiong, following the four year anniversary of the Lekki Toll gate massacre, placed the blame squarely on former President Buhari.

Effiong asserted that the actions taken on the fateful night of October 20, 2020, fall under the constitutional command of the president, who is recognised as the commander-in-chief of the armed force.

The lawyer who represented victims at the Lagos State Judicial Panel of Inquiry, also noted that the violence erupted only after armed thugs, with close political ties, infiltrated the peaceful protests.

He said, “For me, Muhammadu Buhari ordered it. He was the commander-in-chief when the massacre happened. And by law, constitutionally, if you look at the provisions of section 218 of the constitution, the president is the commander-in-chief of the armed forces. It is expected that the commander-in-chief would have given a directive. So, I hold Buhari liable for the massacre at the toll gate.”

Effiong noted that during his testimony at the Lagos state #EndSARS judicial panel, a military general admitted to having communicated with the governor of Lagos State on that tragic evening and despite the panel’s finding that a massacre indeed took place, the Lagos State government dismissed this conclusion in their official white paper.

However, Effiong highlighted a significant contradiction: the state subsequently offered 100 million naira to the families of the deceased and those injured, which he argues is an implicit admission of their involvement in the tragedy.

He said, “Furthermore, I was at the panel on the day that the military testified on that point and I was one of the lawyers who represented the victims of the tollgate massacre led by the very learned Adeyinka Olumide-Fusika (SAN). He led us in representing the victims of the tollgate. On that day, the military general who came to testify admitted under oath that he had a communication with the governor of Lagos state. After the Justice Doris Okuwobi panel found that the massacre took place, the Lagos state government in their white paper rejected the aspect of the report that related to killing at the tollgate. Guess what, they went behind and offered a hundred million specifically to families of deceased persons at the tollgate and some those who sustained injuries. That itself is an admission by the Lagos state government that they had a hand in the killing at the tollgate.”

Effiong also questioned the purpose of deploying armed forces to the scene, emphasising, “The videos are there. They cannot tell us not to believe our eyes. This is a question of accountability.” He pointed out that thugs were seen being transported in government vehicles, and yet, no arrests have been made. “Even one notorious thug who was chasing people with a machete has not been arrested to date,” he lamented.

Expressing confidence in the eventual pursuit of justice, the lawyer stated, “I believe the judgement of history will hold them accountable. I believe that a time will come that this accountability question will have to be answered and people will have to pay for it, Buhari will have to be held accountable and the military general and the military leaders who gave that directive to shoot at Nigerians for singing the national anthem, raising the national flag, will be put on trial, will be imprisoned for their role in the massacre and we will continue to insist that what happened at the toll gate was a massacre.”

Melissa Enoch

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