*For spreading fake news
The former Managing Director of the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), Mr. Bayo Onanuga, has reviewed the report of the Lagos State Judicial Panel of Inquiry into the Lekki toll gate shooting and killing of October 20, 2020 and called on the Information Minister, Lai Mohammed, to resign from office.
The Panel chaired by Justice Doris Okuwobi, indicted Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu, the Army and the Police over the roles they played in the saga.
The Panel found that soldiers were deployed to the toll gate on the invitation of Governor Sanwo-Olu and that there were fatalities in the aftermath of the soldiers’ and subsequent Police deployment.
Whereas Governor Sanwo-Olu had denied inviting the Army when the incident happened and Lai Mohammed claimed that youths were not killed, the Panel confirmed fatalities and likened what happened at the toll gate on October 20, 2020 to a massacre.
Onanuga who, until 2019 was the MD of NAN with Information Minister Lai Mohammed as supervising minister, asked his former boss to resign immediately for telling a lie, and spreading fake news.
Onanuga said: ”Nigeria is the only country in the world where public officials rarely resign, when they betray public trust egregiously or openly lie to the people.
“We now know the truth that there was indeed a massacre of defenceless young Nigerians by soldiers and policemen at the Lekki toll gate on 20-10-2020, contrary to the official lies that it didn’t happen.”
Onanuga stated: “The man who told the biggest lie and even embarrassed Nigeria by demanding an apology from CNN is still sitting pretty in office.
“Now that his lies have blown on his face, one expects that he should be honourable enough to resign and apologise to all those young Nigerians that he grossly offended.
“If he does not, one expects the President to demand his resignation letter. Nigeria deserves to be a country of honourable men and women.”
Onanuga admonished the Buhari administration, saying: ”Integrity should be our watchword. President Integrity, over to you.”