CNN releases second report on Lekki shootings amidst threat of sanction
By Modupe Shodeinde
The international media organisation, CNN, on Tuesday has released a second report on it investigations on the Lekki shootings incident despite the federal government’s threat of sanction.
CNN last week had released the first report alleging that the Nigerian Army used live ammunition on peaceful EndSARS protesters at the Lekki Tollgate on 20th of October.
The Nigerian government had however termed the report poor journalism and threatened to sanction the news network.
The Minister of of information and Culture, Lai Mohammed, in a letter addressed to Jonathan Hawkins, VP Communications of CNN, on Monday, said the report falls short of journalistic standards and only reinforced the disinformation that is going around on the issue.
However, the network on Tuesday did a second report with more damning footage showing soldiers shooting at unarmed protesters.
New questions about the incident were raised by CNN’s second report titled, ‘Analysis of CCTV footage from Lekki toll gate raises new questions about shooting’.
The report, quoted Ahmed Taiwo, Commander of 81 Division, Army Military Intelligence Brigade, as admitting that soldiers carried live ammunition to the protest ground.
This was highlighted to be in contradiction with the minister’s claim that the army fired blank bullets at the protesters.
The CCTV footage was also compared with some of the videos on social media which the National Broadcasting Commission had sanctioned three local stations for using, this brought up more questions the authorities need to answer.
