Nigeria’s federal government has rejected a report by a judicial panel that concluded the October 2020 shooting of protesters at Lekki toll gate could be described as a massacre by the military that officials tried to cover up. Information Minister Lai Mohammed Tuesday said the panel’s report, which was leaked and widely shared on social media last week, was “nothing but the triumph of fake news.” Speaking at a press conference in the nation’s capital Abuja, Mohammed doubled down on the government’s persistent denial of the Lekki shooting, saying: “That report is nothing but the triumph of fake news and the intimidation of a silent majority by a vociferous lynch mob.” The minister also criticized CNN for “celebrating” the report in a “rush to claim vindication.” However, a member of the panel Segun Awosanya told CNN Wednesday that the panel’s findings were based on objectivity and facts. He added that the minister’s comment was improper coming at a time the country was still healing from the Lekki incident.SOURCE: CNN
