A retired Major General and former spokesperson of the Nigerian Army, John Enenche, has broken his silence over some of the incidents that occurred at the Lekki toll gate during the #EndSARS protest two years ago.
On the night of October 20, 2020, at about 6:50 p.m., soldiers of the Nigerian Army opened fire on unarmed youths protesting against police brutality, also known as #EndSARS protesters, at the Lekki toll gate in Lagos State.
This incident, denied by the Federal Government, was some of the issues pointed out when supporters of Labour Party presidential candidate, Peter Obi, saw Enenche’s name in the campaign list for the 2023 election.
The army spokesperson was believed by many youths in the country as the mastermind in covering up the killings two years ago
“If not that I am not permitted, I would have forwarded it to you. Up till this morning, I got analysts to analyse the video and they said it was cropped and put together,” he had said in the now-trending Arise TV video.
Enenche’s name appeared as a representative of the North-Central part of the country.
The army general who had now moved on to support Peter Obi, released a statement Friday, October 14, 2022 on Twitter, acknowledging the event two years ago.
The statement read, “Dear country men and women, following my appointment on the campaign council of Labour Party, there were reactions on the social media about my pronouncement concerning a video shot at the scene of the #ENDSARS incident at Lekki toll gate on 20 October 2020. Everyone that commented in any way was right based on the information at their disposal and individual analysis.
“Personally and professionally, I worked with the overriding interest of Nigerians at heart based on the oath of allegiance I swore on commission into military service which is sacrosanct. I sincerely shared in the pains of that breaking news through the social media as it were. On this note, I want to assure all that more effort will be put in, so that all assertions can be cleared convincingly from appropriate sources.”
Press statement by Major General John Enenche (rtd) pic.twitter.com/jjq7ZxaPUb
— Major General John Enenche ( rtd) (@EnenchejohnEne1) October 14, 2022
Enenche appealed to Labour Party supporters to be focused and work together to achieve their mission. He stressed that he and a lot of others still have a lot to contribute based on his knowledge of the political landscape over the years.
The ex-army general nonetheless declared support for Peter Obi and his running mate, Yusuf Ahmed-Datti, noting that they can provide quality leadership for the nation.
However, Obi, in a series of tweets on Friday, October 14, 2022, admitted some errors were made in the Labour Party’s Presidential Campaign Council list. He promised to update the list in due course.
“I have received several calls of concern following the release of the Labour Party’s Presidential Campaign Council list. Admittedly, there were some omissions and erroneous entries in the list, hence the concerns expressed.
“In response, the Labour Party Chairman in the presence of members of the National Working Committee (NWC) addressed the issues during a press conference. In keeping with our commitment to accountability, responsiveness and transparency, an updated list will be issued in due course. I plead for patience,” he wrote
the Labour Party Chairman in the presence of members of the NWC addressed the issues during a press conference. In keeping with our commitment to accountability, responsiveness and transparency, an updated list will be issued in due course. I plead for patience. -PO
— Peter Obi (@PeterObi) October 14, 2022
Experienced Business reporter seeking the truth and upholding justice. Covered capital markets, aviation, maritime, road and rail, as well as economy. Email tips to [email protected]. Follow on Twitter @theminentmuyiwa and on Instagram @Hollumuyiwah.