Judicial Panel: Forensic Expert Says Ammunition Presented By Army Are ‘Same Calibre’ As Bullet Shells Recovered At Lekki Tollgate
A forensics company, Sentinel Forensic Limited, has testified before Lagos state Judicial Panel of Inquiry and Restitution set up to unravel details of the brutal shooting at Lekki Toll Gate on October 20, 2020, at the peak of #EndSARS protest.
Addressing the panel, the company’s representative, Joseph Kayode Funsho, said the Cartridge Casing obtained from Lekki Toll Gate are of the same calibre as the Nigerian Army’s Live Ammunition.
He, however, said the blanks submitted by the panel, didn’t match the records from the Nigerian Army’s inventory.
Kayode gave this explanation on Friday while giving the ballistic report of the forensic investigation conducted on the ammunition presented by the Nigerian Army and those at the panel.
Recall that Nigerian Army, represented by Ibrahim Taiwo, the Commander of 81 Division, earlier told the panel that soldiers fired only blank bullets at Lekki tollgate to disperse protesters on the night of October 20, last year.
Read Also: Lekki Shooting: Nigerian Army Changes Position, Says Soldiers Had Both Live And Blank Ammunition
At another appearance before the panel, the army said they went to Lekki tollgate on October 20 with both blank and live ammunition.
Mr Taiwo presented samples of blank ammunition and live ammunition to the panel, insisting that the soldiers fired only blank ammunition.
Read Also: Lekki Shooting: ‘Soldiers Used Blank Ammunition’ – Former Army Spokesman, Sani Usman
Meanwhile, members of the judicial panel on October 30, last year visited the scene of the lekki shooting incident, where about six bullet shells were recovered from the scene 10 days after.
Both the exhibits recovered by the panel and those presented by the Nigerian Army were presented to the forensic team for ballistic investigation.
Giving a summary of the report on Friday, Mr Kayode said the bullet shells recovered by the judicial panel and the live ammunition presented by Nigerian Army are of the same calibre.
He expressed;
The live ammunition presented by the Nigerian Army is of the core calibre as the cartridge casings submitted by the Judicial Panel.
While the blank ammunition submitted by the Nigerian Army is not of the same calibre as the cartridge casing submitted by the Judicial Panel. The blank ammunition submitted by the Nigerian Army is not designed to be fired by rifles chambered to 7.62x39mm.
The counsels to the Lagos State government, #EndSARS protesters, and the NBA are yet to cross-examine the expert.
The chairperson of the judicial panel, Doris Okuwobi, adjourned the matter till September 11.
