Lekki tollgate: Rules of engagement allow blank, live ammunition – Army

The Nigerian Arm on Sunday, admitted deploying troops that were armed with both blank and live ammunition to disperse #EndSARS protesters at Lekki tollgate, Lagos.

It explained that it was part of the rules of engagement for soldiers on internal security operations to carry both live and blank ammunition.

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The Acting Deputy Director, 81 Division Army Public Relations, Major Osoba Olaniyi, made the clarification while attempting to correct what he referred to as insinuations on both the social and some mainstream media that the Nigerian Army contradicted its evidence of firing blank ammunition when it also carried live ammunition for internal security operations on October 20, 2020.

According to him, the use of any of the two ammunition is stated in the Nigerian Army Rules of Engagement and that the usage of any of the two also depends largely on the level of threat at the operational area.

He said: “Please note that one of the principles  of internal security  operations is the use of minimum force. Minimum force  in itself is a function  of the assessment of the Commander on the ground. In this circumstances i.e The Lekki Toll Gate,  the Commander on the ground assessed that there was no need  to use live ammunition,  that was why only blank ammunition was used at the Lekki Toll Gate.

“The blank ammunition was fired into the sky and not at the protester. The results are all glaring as there was no fatality recorded – this has been corroborated by both BBC report and other reputable news media outfits.

“The use of blank ammunition/minimum force achieved the aim of dispersing the hoodlums and crowd. It is pertinent to reiterate that the Nigerian Army is a law-abiding institution that acts in tandem with her Rules of Engagement

“We therefore wish to advise all stakeholders to guard against being used by local and foreign agents of destabilization who do not wish this country any good.”