Former Minister of Information and Culture, Lai Mohammed, has again dismissed claims that a massacre occurred at the Lekki Tollgate during the October 2020 #EndSARS protests, insisting the widely circulated narrative was “fake news.”
Mohammed, who served under the Muhammadu Buhari administration, restated his position during an appearance on ARISE TV on Wednesday, December 10.
Addressing controversy surrounding the October 20, 2020 incident, he criticised international media reports—particularly CNN’s coverage—claiming their reporting lacked firsthand verification.
“Nobody ever said nobody died during #EndSARS. People died in Abuja, they died in Lagos, they died in Kano. But what we said was that CNN was not at the tollgate. CNN relied on secondhand and third-hand information,” he said.
He added that no family had come forward in five years to declare that their relative left for the tollgate and never returned.
Mohammed described the protests as “unfortunate and tragic” but insisted the Lekki Tollgate incident had been inaccurately branded a massacre.
“Massacre is fake news. Thirty-seven policemen were killed, six soldiers were killed. This is what I kept saying,” he emphasised.
The former minister also revisited the controversial 2021 suspension of Twitter in Nigeria—an action that drew heavy backlash at home and abroad. He maintained that the suspension was not due to the platform deleting a tweet by then-President Buhari.
“Honestly, that was not the reason,” he said. “I went to President Buhari and told him, ‘Sir, we need to suspend the services of Twitter.’ He asked me why… I gave him instances and examples.”
Mohammed claimed that Twitter had become a tool for individuals attempting to destabilise the country, which, according to him, justified the government’s decision.
