CNN has replied the Federal Government of Nigeria, and said it is standing by its report that soldiers used live rounds on #EndSARS protesters in Lagos.
On Wednesday, the US based news outlet had published an investigative report on the Lekki shooting thatt happened on October 20, 2020.
The Minister of Information and Culture, Lai Mohammed on Thursday said the report was, misleading, saying it was a ‘massacre without bodies’, before threatening to sanction CNN.
However, in a statement on Thursday, CNN said the report was carefully and meticulously researched.
“Our reporting was carefully and meticulously researched, and we stand by it,” the statement read.
“The report was based on testimony from dozens of witnesses, and photos and video obtained and geolocated by CNN. It painted a picture of how members of the Nigerian army and the police shot at 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 who appear to be shooting in the direction of protesters. And accounts from eyewitnesses established that after the army withdrew, a second round of shooting happened later in the evening.
“Prior to publishing the report, CNN tried multiple times to elicit comment from the Nigerian army and police. A Lagos State police spokesman declined to comment because of an ongoing investigation.
“While a statement from the Lagos State government said that there would be no comment while a judicial tribunal was underway.”
