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SocialMediaTrends: CNN’s #LekkiMassacre report; Nigerian Army, Sanwo-Olu, Fashola under fire & more

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ANALYSIS.... LEKKI SHOOTING: Deconstructing a pattern of lies, impunity as govt trademark

A new investigative report concerning the October 20 shooting of #EndSARS protesters by military men at the Lekki Toll Gate, emerged on Wednesday and got the social media bubbling, as the report backed numerous eyewitness accounts.

The #EndSARS and #EndBadGovernanceInNigeria hashtag made a return to the trends table on Twitter as a result, but the following trends were the major aspects of the conversations:

The CNN

The America-based news television, in a documentary aired early Wednesday, made more revelations about the Lekki toll gate shooting of EndSARS protesters, as it confirmed that live rounds were fired directly at peaceful protesters by the Nigerian Army.

Recall that the Nigerian military had claimed they only used blanks, and fired in the air.

But video footages from the report, which were also a confirmation of eye witness accounts on social media, showed multiple deaths, several injured protesters and testimonies from families of victims of the shooting.

The report also traced the live bullets fired to weaponry dealers in Serbia where Nigeria was said to have annually purchased ammunition between 2005 and 2016.

The emergence of the investigation raised old dusts and brought hashtags like #EndSARS and #LekkiMassacre back to top of discussions, garnering massive engagements.

Sanwo-Olu

Governor of Lagos State, Babajide Sanwo-Olu came under fire following the report published by CNN Africa on the toll gate incident, as the Governor had earlier claimed that only two demonstrators were killed during the shooting.

Read Also: SocialMediaTrends: Shekau’s new video, killing and kidnapping in Kaduna & more stories

Adamu Garba

Former Nigerian Presidential aspirant, Adamu who sued Twitter CEO, Jack Dorsey, last month for supporting the #EndSARS protest, on Wednesday said via his Twitter handle that he would not sue CNN Africa for their report on the protest since the organization were only doing their job which was “investigative and not conclusive”.

Twitter users called out the tech-inclined politician for what many have thought would have been an unreasonable move if carried out.

Lai Mohammed

Social media users also anticipated and predicted the Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed’s response to CNN’s report on the Lekki toll gate shooting thus:

https://twitter.com/d_nseyo/status/1329090208818610178?s=08

Read Also: SocialMediaTrends: Makinde’s IGR ‘magic’; APC vs PDP —which is ‘Nigeria’s best friend’? & more

NANS

Many Nigerian youths have continued to question the stance of the National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS) amidst the prolonged strike between the Federal government and the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU).

The students activism cum pressure group has been accused severally of failing to represent the interest of the Nigerian Student before the warring parties as expected.

Fashola

The discovery of a camcorder at the Lekki toll gate by the former governor of Lagos State and Minister of Works and Housing, Babatunde Raji Fashola during an empathy visit and inspection tour to the shooting scene, was a subject of ridicle once again on Twitter.

…By Okiemute Abraham

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