The Nigerian Army has told an investigating panel that soldiers who were deployed to disperse EndSARS protesters in Lagos took live rounds to the Lekki tollgate on October 20, 2020.
The commander of the 81 division of the Nigerian Army, Brigadier General Ahmed Ibrahim Taiwo, made the disclosure before the judicial panel the set up to probe the incident, The Cable reported.
The army commander, however, claimed that soldiers did not use the live rounds on the protesters.
He said the soldiers only used blank bullets to disperse the crowd.
Taiwo stated that the live rounds were on the ground to protect the troops from suspected hoodlums who could cause trouble.
Meanwhile, a report by The Nation has indicated that the Nigerian Army sent not less than seven trucks to the Lekk tollgate on the night of October 20, when #EndSARS protesters were reportedly shot and killed.
The trucks, two white and five black, were seen on footage of the incident provided by the Lekki Concession Company (LCC).
According to the report, the two hours and 5 minutes of the 21-hour video was being played, adding that the soldiers arrived at about 6:43 pm.
