Cable News Network (CNN) has upheld the legitimacy of its findings about the Lekki toll shooting during the Endsars protest.
The federal government of Nigeria threatened to sanction the international broadcasting company on the documentary film posted on the Lekki massacre, which clearly reveals how the Nigerian army fired directly at unarmed protesters.
In a statement issued by one of his company’s spokesmen, CNN said it supports his investigation.
“Our reports were carefully and meticulously investigated, and we stand by them. The report was based on the testimony of dozens of witnesses, and photos and videos obtained and geolocated by CNN. He painted a picture of Nigerian army and police firing into the crowd, killing at least one person and wounding dozens more.
CNN verified photos and videos acquired from multiple eyewitnesses and protesters using timestamps and other data from the video files. Video footage shows soldiers appearing to fire in the direction of the protesters. And eyewitness accounts established that after the army’s withdrawal, a second round of gunfire occurred later in the evening.
Before publishing the report, CNN tried several times to obtain comment from the Nigerian army and police. A Lagos State Police spokesman declined to comment due to an ongoing investigation. While a statement from the Lagos state government said there would be no comment while a judicial court was underway. “ CNN statuses