Two ministers on Monday dismissed the allegation that soldiers were ordered to shoot EndSARS protesters at Lekki Toll Gate in October.
The Attorney General of the Federation (AGF) and Minister of Justice, Abubakar Malami, and the Minister of Defence, retired Major General Bashir Magashi, defended the government during questions and answers session at a Media Parley with international journalists organized by the Presidential Media Team at the old Banquet Hall of the State House, Abuja.
Malami said the federal government had directed that all cases of police brutality and maltreatments of innocent citizens by security personnel should be investigated and culprits should be brought to book.
On his part, Magashi said the Lekki EndSARS incident was being investigated by both the federal and Lagos State governments.
He, therefore, appealed to the media to always avoid speculative reports on the incident as government was doing all it could to identify and prosecute all those behind the crisis.
Speaking earlier at the forum, the Minister of Justice, Malami, lauded the Nigerian Police for the mature way it handled the EndSARS protests despite the killing of its officers in some parts of the country.
He said the impact of the ongoing reform in the Nigeria Police was evidently clear with the absence of aggressive counter-reactions despite the killing of 20 policemen and the burning of 200 police stations.
He gave an assurance that the Federal Government would continue to ensure institutional provisions to the NPF to enhance the quality of policing in the country.
While speaking at the occasion, Special Adviser to the President on Media and Publicity, Femi Adesina, again voiced concern over the circulation of fake news and misleading information occasioned by the EndSARS protests aimed at causing social discontent and disunity in the country.
Adesina condemned what he described as deliberate misinformation and incorrect reports by some international media outfits who reported the protests in some parts of the country.
The Minister of State, Petroleum Resources, Mr. Timipre Sylva, who also spoke at the event, dismissed the assertion that the EndSARS protests would affect the smooth consideration and passage of the Petroleum Industry Bill (PIB) by the National Assembly.
The Minister of Finance, Budget and National Planning, Hajiya Zainab Ahmed, who highlighted the state of the nation’s economy, restated the commitment of the government to ensure full implementation of the 5-point demand of youths occasioned by the EndSARS protests.
