The Federal Government has slammed CNN and global human rights group, Amnesty International, saying they have continued to shamelessly hold on to their unproven stand concerning the incident that happened at the Lekki tollgate in Lagos on October 20, 2020. The tollgate was the epicentre of the #EndSARS protests of last year.

Youths who had gathered at the location in protest against police brutality and bad governance were dispersed by gun-wielding soldiers on October 20, 2020.

The action by the soldiers is believed by some quarters to have led to the death of protesters who had gathered day and night at the tollgate.

The Minister of Information and Culture, Lai Mohammed, who spoke today at a conference in Abuja, held on the anniversary of the incident, reiterated his stance that what happened on the night was a “phantom massacre.”

This is as he lamented that those championing the narrative of a massacre have continued to do so even without evidence that lives were lost on the night.

Mohammed said, “Today marks the first anniversary of the phantom massacre at Lekki Toll Gate in Lagos, which was the culmination of an otherwise peaceful protest that was later hijacked by hoodlums. At earlier press conferences, I had called the reported massacre at the toll gate the first massacre in the world without blood or bodies. One year later, and despite ample opportunities for the families of those allegedly killed and those alleging a massacre to present evidence, there has been none: Nobody, no families, no convincing evidence, nothing. Where are the families of those who were reportedly killed at the toll gate? Did they show up at the Judicial Panel of Inquiry? If not, why?