TheCable

The legal team representing the Nigerian army at the Lagos state judicial panel on police brutality says no allegation has been filed against the army.

The panel was set up by the Lagos government set up to probe allegations of rights abuses by the police special anti-robbery squad (SARS).

The army has appeared before the panel on different occasions to clarify its role at the Lekki toll gate on October 20, 2020.

While presenting a report on the incident to Tukur Burutai, chief of army staff, on Monday, Akinolu Kehinde, leader of the army legal team, said the army has only testified before the panel.

“I want it to be clear that at no point in time was the Nigerian army summoned as a respondent,” NAN quoted him to have said.

“That means that there are no allegations whatsoever was raised against the Nigerian army by any organisation or anybody before the panel.”

Kehinde said Ahmed Taiwo, a brigadier-general, was only summoned by the panel to narrate the involvement of army personnel at the Lekki till gate.

He said: “I want to say without fear of contradiction that at the end of the testimony and cross examination of the Nigerian army’s sole witness, I want to believe that the army was able to explain in detail its involvement in that particular episode.

“The sitting of the panel is still ongoing and it will be unethical for me to comment on what the likely outcome of the recommendation would be.”