Lekki toll gate: Soldiers fired blank bullets at protesters, ex-Army spokesman says

Lekki toll gate: Soldiers fired blank bullets at protesters, ex-Army spokesman says

- Retired Brigadier-General SK Usman says what he saw in Lekki video was blank bullets

- The former army spokesperson said the blanks were used in army training and cannot kill anybody

- Usman said the army should be commended rather than condemned

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A former spokesman of the Nigerian Army, Brigadier-General Sani Kukasheka Usman (retd.), has said that Nigerian soldiers did not fire live bullets at protesters during the Lekki toll gate incident.

Usman made the assertion during his live interview with Arise TV on Thursday, October 29.

According to Usman, the blanks cannot kill. The worst it can do, he said, is cause slight blister or colouring on the skin.

Lekki toll gate: Soldiers fired blank bullets at protesters, ex-Army spokesman says
Brigadier-General SK Usman (retd.) said the blank bullets soldiers used in Lekki toll gate shooting cannot kill anybody. Photo credit: SK Usman
Source: Facebook

Usman said:

"If you look at the canisters, they were blank ammo and blank ammo don’t even kill. At a close range, l – maybe 100-metres – maybe it will have some pigmentation on your skin.”

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The immediate past army spokesperson added:

“Remember the military are armed and by the nature of their training, they are trained to kill and I think the military in its wisdom instead of using live ammunition decided to use blank armour which is meant for training.

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Usman argued that the army should be commended for the way they handled the Lekki toll gate incident rather than being condemned.

“I think they should be commended for that otherwise there would have been serious collateral damage, but they were professional enough to have done that.”

The retired military officer also brushed aside claims by Amnesty International that soldiers killed s

Meanwhile, Legit.ng reported that the Nigerian Defence Headquarters (DHQ) recently reacted over the alleged shooting of some EndSARS protesters at Lekki tollgate by soldiers.

Defence Media Operations (DMO), Maj. Gen. John Enenche said the videos which surfaced online showing soldiers shooting at peaceful protesters at the Lekki Toll Plaza was fake and was either photoshopped or cropped.

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Authors:
Akinyemi Akinrujomu avatar

Akinyemi Akinrujomu Akinyemi Akinrujomu is a professionally-trained journalist with over 17 years of experience. His knowledge spans print, broadcast, and online media. He has worked in several top media organizations in Nigeria. He has also pioneered several print media publications. He is a graduate of History and International Studies from the Lagos State University and he also holds a professional National Diploma in Journalism. He loves reading, travelling and listening to music.