#EndSARS: CNN Is Desperate, Doctored Its Evidence On Lekki Shooting – FG

The federal government says the CNN latest report on #EndSARS Lekki shooting is a sign of desperation on the part of the global news station.

On October 20, 2020, the Nigerian army stormed the  #EndSARS demonstration ground at the Lekki toll-gate and allegedly opened fire on unarmed protesters leaving many dead and others injure.

In a report on the incident, CNN alleged that soldiers used live rounds on the protesters, but the army has repeatedly denied this allegation, claiming it only fired blank bullets into the air.

Reacting to the initial report, the federal government accused CNN of publishing a report that is devoid of basic ethics and principles of journalism.

It also said the report is Inciting and could pitch the citizens against the Nigerian government and threatened to sanction the media giant for “unprofessional and irresponsible journalism” .

In a follow-up report released on Tuesday, CNN said it obtained the CCTV footage of the October 20 incident submitted by the Lekki Concession Company (LCC) ahead of the judicial panel sitting.

Speaking during a programme on NTA, on Wednesday, Lai Mohammed, minister of information, said CNN is spreading fake news.

Mohammed said there was nothing new about CNN last report.

“It shows that they are desperate. The so-called recent development has been seen before. There is nothing new. If there is anything new, it is a contradiction of CNN’s position,” Mohammed said.

“What we are asking CNN is that where is your evidence? The military has been consistent. CNN contravenes the basic principles of journalism – fairness, and balance.

‘They did the story without contacting the federal government for its own side. They relied on second and third parties narratives.

“They (CNN) were caught spreading fake news and they are trying to escape. We are accusing them of basing their stories on videos sourced on social media. CNN has been inconsistent. It also doctored the video it got. We are confident in our position.”