Trainee soldiers were deployed at Lekki Tollgate, Commander tells judicial panel‎

Due to a shortage of troops, Chief of Army Staff, Lt.-Gen. Tukur Buratai, ordered the deployment of trainee soldiers at the Lekki tollgate during the #EndSARS protests on October 20.

The Commander of 81 Military Intelligence Brigade, Victoria Island, Lagos, Brigadier General Ahmed Taiwo, disclosed this on Saturday while testifying before the Lagos State Judicial Panel of Inquiry which is probing the alleged shooting of unarmed #EndSARS protesters by soldiers on the night of October 20 at the Lekki tollgate.

The soldiers were deployed to enforce the curfew imposed on the state by the governor, Mr Babajide Sanwo-Olu.

“The 81 Division was short of troops, the Chief of Army Staff gave an extraordinary order that all Army schools should be shut down and everybody should be brought to the operation,” Taiwo said. ‎

He also disclosed that he had only a day before, as an examiner of the Nigerian Army Intelligence, taught the trainee soldiers about internal security techniques.

According to him, he pointed out to them on the operation day how it was unbelievable that only a day after learning the rules, they were going for an operation in internal security.‎