The Defence Headquarters say they cannot make a comment for the time being on the alleged involvement of soldiers in the shooting of #EndSARS protesters at Lekki toll gate on Tuesday night.
Defence spokesman Maj-Gen. John Enenche said during a briefing on Thursday that Nigerians would have to wait for the findings of a commission of inquiry set up by Lagos State Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu to investigate the incident.
Enenche said allegations that the military was responsible for the alleged killings had been dismissed by military analysts.
“The issue is not an operation that I can respond to, but I can tell you that it is an allegation for now. So let us not set the cart before the horse,” he said.
“If the matter was still open-ended, I would have had a response for you but it is no longer open-ended, because immediately, not even up to five hours before midnight, the governor of Lagos set up an inquiry. So whatever we say now will not be fair to the commission.”
He further said the military was involved in internal security operations codenamed ‘Operation MESA’ in nine states, but declined to disclose details on the joint security task force.
The operation, he said, involves the army, navy, air force, civil defence and the police and is under the control of the state governments.
“So these operations are still standing and running and I am aware that the state governments are using them in all these capacities, that is internal security,” he said.
“The level we are now is internal security and that is why the police proactively came out and then deployed all their force package that are necessary to handle that (violence).”
When asked why security operatives are unable to stop the looting in Lagos, Enenche said: “They were on the grounds; maybe, they were not visible in all places.”
