The Federal Government has hailed the actions of the Nigerian Army and Police, while saying that there was no massacre of demonstrators during the #EndSARS protest in Lekki in Lagos. The government said this while reacting to the shared CNN video of the alleged Lekki Massacre, calling it irresponsible journalism.
The Minister of Information and Culture, Lai Mohammed, while addressing the issue on Thursday 19th November 2020, said what is being portrayed so far was “social media massacre” or a “hoax massacre.”
“What is the case of a massacre without bodies? he asked.
He also asked the international community not to be misled by posts on social media to impose sanctions on Nigeria. He said CNN relied on unverified and doctored videos.
Adding further, Lai Mohammed, said the government will go ahead to regulate the social media in the country, as social media was allegedly used to guide arsonists and looters to certain properties.
The Minister said the government was satisfied with the conduct of the military and security agencies during the #EndSARS protest.
He said soldiers and policemen deserve commendation for their roles during the protest.
Mohammed said:
“While we await the Judicial Panel in Lagos to unravel what transpired at the Lekki Toll Gate, what we can say, based on testimonies available in the public space, is that the world may have just witnessed, for the very first time ever, a MASSACRE WITHOUT BODIES! Some have tagged it ‘social media massacre’.
“The testimony of Brig.-Gen, Ahmed Ibrahim Taiwo of the Nigerian Army before the Panel was compelling, and I am sure many of you have listened to or watched it” he said.
The Minister asked countries that had made the hasty judgment on #EndSARS protest to seek the truth.
He said it was regretful that some people and the international community have been calling for sanctions against Nigeria.
He added:
“Sadly, the purveyors of fake news and disinformation succeeded in deceiving the world that indeed there was mass killing in Lekki, even when, till date, not a single body has been produced and not a single-family or relative has come out to say their child or ward was killed at Lekki.
“More surprising and irresponsible is the fact that some people have been calling for sanctions against Nigeria or against Nigerian government officials on the basis of a hoax. This is one of the dangers of fake news and disinformation.
”Once fake news is out, many run with it, without looking back, even when the truth is eventually revealed. We, therefore, want to use this opportunity to ask those who have alleged massacre at the Lekki Toll Gate to go to the Judicial Panel to present their evidence(s) to the world or simply admit that they have goofed.”
He added: “This development has reinforced the campaign against fake news and disinformation, which we launched in 2018. As a matter of fact, as far back as 2017, when we dedicated that year’s National Council on Information to the issue of fake news and disinformation, we had been expressing concerns on the dangers posed by irresponsible use of the new media platform.
“The concerns culminated in the launch of the national campaign which I referred to earlier.
”The social media was used to guide arsonists and looters to certain properties, both public and private. Pictures of persons, including some celebrities, who were supposedly killed at the Lekki Toll Gate by soldiers, were circulated widely, only for those persons to refute such claims or for the discerning to disprove such posts. As we have said many times, no responsible government will stand by and allow such abuse of social media to continue.
“The fake news/disinformation purveyors have latched on to our concerns to allege that the Federal Government is planning to shut down social media. No, we have no plans to shut down the social media.
”What we have always advocated, and what we will do, is to regulate the social media. Nigeria is not alone in this regard. The issue of social media regulation is an ongoing debate not just in Nigeria but around the world, including in the United States, which is the flag flyer of constitutional democracy.
Even the owners of the various social media platforms, including Facebook, are increasingly joining the call for content regulation.
“Some respected opinion leaders have been playing to the gallery on the issue of social media regulation by making inciting and incendiary statements, while some other individuals and groups have been threatening fire and brimstone over the issue of social media regulation.
“What they have failed to understand is that the only reason we are even able to have this debate is because we have a country.
“If we allow the abuse of social media to precipitate uncontrolled internecine violence, the kind of which was narrowly averted during the EndSARS crisis, no one will remember or be able to use Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, etc, for whatever purpose.
” It is incumbent upon us all, therefore, to strike a balance between free speech – which this Administration is committed to upholding – and fake news/disinformation, which it is determined to fight.”