#EndSARS Protests: Army Insists Only Blank Bullets Were Fired At Lekki Tollgate

The Nigerian Army has insisted that only blank bullets containing gunpowder were fired at the Lekki Tollgate area of Lagos State on October 20.
Commander of the 81 Military Intelligence Brigade, Brigadier Ahmed Taiwo, made this known on Saturday when he appeared before the Judicial Panel of Inquiry set up by the state government to investigate cases of police brutality.

He also insisted that the military only fired into the air and not directly at the #EndSARS protesters.
While explaining that the blank bullets used cannot cause any damage to the flesh, Brigadier Taiwo said if real bullets were indeed fired, one bullet had the potency to kill three persons at one shot.

He reiterated the Army’s position that they were deployed to the scene on the orders of the state government.
While a curfew had been put in place to contain the violence that had broken out in parts of the state by persons who hijacked the peaceful protests, the army said it did get the update that the timing which had initially been set to commence at 4:00 pm, was shifted to 9:00 pm.

He insists that the troops were not only deployed to the Lekki tollgate but also to other areas like Badagry, Ikorodu, Apapa, Alimosho, Epe, Lagos Island and the entire state to restore normalcy.
Furthermore, he claimed that after the soldiers left the area, hoodlums went on to destroy the toll gate plaza.

Taiwo was answering a question posed by a panel member on the effects of blank ammunition.

The brigadier-general had said the army used blank ammunition rather than live bullets to disperse the #EndSARS protesters at the Lekki tollgate.

“I am an expert in ammunition having spent so long in the army. However, you may wish not to take my word for it but look up the effects of blank ammunition,” he said.

“Even if you put it against your skin and fire, you will only have a burn mark to show for it. I wish I brought a rifle to try it on you.”

Maintaining that it was against the code of conduct of the Nigerian Army to fire at peaceful civilians, Taiwo said a single discharge of live ammunition was capable of killing up to three persons when fired in close proximity.

“When fired, it has a muzzle velocity of 700m per second, it is effective up to 600m. That means if you fire a rifle, it will kill someone up to 600m away depending on the skill of the firer, ” he said.

“With that heavy muzzle velocity, if that rifle is shot at somebody at 10m, the damage is unimaginable. With that crowd you see there, if they fire you won’t have a kill per person but perhaps three kills per person.”