Cable News Network (CNN) has replied to the threats of sanctions by the Nigerian government over its viral Lekki Toll Gate report, saying it stands by its story.
The damning report by CNN published on Wednesday stated that soldiers used live ammunition manufactured by a Serbian company in 2005 on protesters at the Lekki Toll Gate on October 20.
The report also debunked the Nigerian Army’s claim that no one died in the incident, identifying a protester Victor Ibanga as a protester who died at the toll gate.
In a press conference on Thursday, Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed described the investigative report as “irresponsible journalism”.
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“Like everyone else, I watched the CNN report. I must tell you that it reinforces the disinformation that is going around, and it is blatantly irresponsible and a poor piece of journalistic work by a reputable international news organisation.
“This is very serious and CNN should be sanctioned for that,” Mohammed said.
The minister further described Lekki Toll Gate incident as a “massacre without bodies”, querying why no single body has been produced and no family has come out to claim that their child died at the toll gate.
In a fresh report on Thursday, CNN replied to the threats of sanctions, saying its “reporting was carefully and meticulously researched, and we stand by it”.
The international news network further stated, “The report was based on testimony from dozens of witnesses, and photos and video obtained and geolocated by CNN. It painted a picture of how members of the Nigerian army and the police shot at the crowd, killing at least one person and wounding dozens more.
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“CNN verified photos and videos acquired from multiple eyewitnesses and protesters using timestamps and other data from the video files. Video footage shows soldiers who appear to be shooting in the direction of protesters. And accounts from eyewitnesses established that after the army withdrew, a second round of shooting happened later in the evening.
“Prior to publishing the report, CNN tried multiple times to elicit comment from the Nigerian army and police. A Lagos State police spokesman declined to comment because of an ongoing investigation. While a statement from the Lagos State government said that there would be no comment while a judicial tribunal was underway.”