The Leader of All Progressives Congress (APC) party, Chief Bola Ahmed Tinubu has denied any involvement in last Tuesday’s massacre of Nigerian Youths at Lekki Toll Gates in Lagos state.
Nigerian youths have been protesting in different parts of the country against police brutality and bad governance, demanding for reform in the nation’s policing system and economy.
But on Tuesday, the protest tagged #EndSars took a dreadful and bloody dimension when officers of the Nigerian military started assaults on the protesters in different parts of the country. Protesters stationed at the Lekki – Epe Toll Gate in Lagos state’s island were as well attacked with many killed and scores severely injured.
In a video made available to 9News Nigeria via whatsApp, some of the surviving protesters put a call to the APC leader thereby vetting their frustration and disappointment alleging that Tinubu was fully in the know of the plan to unleash mayhem on the innocent unarmed youth, who were protesting against the deplorable security and economic condition of the nation.
In response, Bola Tinubu said that he is not the commander in chief, and that he was not the one who ordered the army to shoot at the protesters. In his words: “Why do.. Why do you believe it is me who ordered the army to shoot you?”
The callers also asserted that Tinubu has always used thugs to do this kind of thing and that he must have done this because the Lekki toll gates were blocked thereby making it impossible for him to make money from the toll gate fares as usual.
Tinubu responded by asking : “Who told you that I’m the owner of toll gate?”
Full Text of the Telephone Conversation:
Tinubu’s Aide: Let us all o..all o.. let all of us find out the cause of this.. Find out who has the constitutional authority to order soldiers.
Callers: ” Why are you people not coming out to say anything, why are you silent while they are killing people, see how they are killing people? Why are you people silent about it? Why are you not fighting for us? If you kill everybody, who are you going to govern? You’re going to govern yourself and the goat and the lizard and the cow? “
Tinubu: Odaa, Ode aro.. Hello !!
Callers: We can hear you please!!
Tinubu: OK!!
I’m not the commander in chief.
Callers: Are you trying to, are you trying to, are you trying to track us so that you can track us and come and kill us like always.
Callers: You’re just being wicked. you’re just being wicked. Why are you people not saying anything ? Are you happy about this, are you people happy about this? You people are old, let us have peace of mind, give us a good government, that’s what we want. Are we asking for too much? Don’t you have children too? Don’t you have children? Are we asking for too much ? What is all these? Your children children will grow up and you will be dead by then and they will suffer for everything that you people are doing right now.
Tinubu: Excuse me! You don’t even read your social media, you don’t read it to understand. You don’t even think about tomorrow today, You don’t even think about the lies, they feed you lies.
Callers: They feed us lies? Is it not what we are seeing? Who ordered the soldiers to go and kill innocent protesters ?
We are sure you have powers over this. We are sure you have powers cos.. Don’t we have the right to protest in this country? Why are we a citizen? Why are we suffering? Are we born to suffer?
Tinubu: Why do.. Why do you believe it is me who ordered the army to shoot you?
Callers: Because you’re the one with the thugs as always, you are the one with the thugs, you’re the one who is always doing this ..You’re the one now, because they locked down toll gates, because you can’t make the money you’ve been.. haven’t you made enough money? For goodness sake, how much money are you going to spend till you die? How much money?
Tinubu: Excuse me ! Who told you? Who told you that I’m the owner of toll gate?
Callers: How much money are you going… are you going to be denying this sir? Sir you’re old, you have children, you have children children, you have children children children. You are not going to be alive forever. That’s what you should know. You will not be alive forever, and when you’re gone, they are going to suffer for all these things you people are doing.
Tinubu: Excuse me! Yes !
Callers: People came out to protest peacefully, they didn’t attack any body from day one, then you people started sending thugs everywhere. Everywhere is on fire now.
