The operators of the Lekki tollgate, Lekki Concession Company (LCC) have said that the Closed-circuit television CCTV at the Lekki Toll Plaza stopped working at 8:00pm on October 20, the same day which soldiers allegedly shot peaceful #ENDSARS protesters at the plaza.
The Managing Director of LCC, Abayomi Omomuwa disclosed this on Tuesday while submitting video footage recorded by its surveillance camera to the Judicial Panel of Inquiry and Restitution for Victims of SARS Related Abuses & Lekki Toll Gate Incident.
The panel was set up by the Lagos State Government to probe the Lekki shootings as well as complaints of human rights abuses against members of the disbanded Special Anti-Robbery Squad.
Soldiers had allegedly on the night of October 20, shot live bullets to disperse EndSARS protesters that camped at the Lekki toll gate plaza, following the imposition of a 24-hour curfew by the state government.
The act generated reactions from different quarters as many condemned the Nigerian army for opening fire on unarmed protesters, a development which the army is yet to claim responsibility for.
Submitting the hard drive containing the footage of what transpired at the toll plaza to the panel, Mr Omomuwa said: “I can confirm that inside here is the video footage that our surveillance camera was able to record on October 20, 2020.”
He however told the panel that the Closed-Circuit Television (CCTV) camera stopped recording at about 8pm due to the alleged vandalization and fire outbreak at the toll gate.
According to him, the fire outbreak at the Ikoyi Bridge affected the CCTV cameras which resultantly stopped recording.
Meanwhile the hard drive has been admitted in evidence as containing the footage from the toll gate.