THE TESTIMONY OF CSP GANIYU RAJI, DIVISIONAL POLICE OFFICER, MAROKO POLICE STATION   UNDER EXAMINATION BY ADESINA OGUNLANA ESQ ON SFRIDAY 24TH SEPTEMBER 2021 BEFORE THE LAGOS ENDSARS PANEL 

J.I. Ebosereme for the Nigeria Police Force

A. Ogunlana with A. Ademiluyi for some #EndSARS Protesters

J.Ogunsanya for the Panel

A. Elegbede with T. Abidoye for Lekki Concession Company

A.J. Owonikoko SAN and  O. Enitan SAN with J. Briggs Esq. and Y.K. Olabode Esq  for Lagos State Government

O.C. Olagunju for some #EndSARS Protesters

M.Asagba with A.C. Eze for the Nigerian Bar Association

EXAMINATION –IN-CHIEF OF SUMMONED WITNESS, CSP GANIYU RAJI DIVISIONAL POLICE OFFICER , MAROKO POLICE STATION .  BY ADESINA OGUNLANA ESQ.

OG: May I know when you started your career?

R: I joined the Nigeria Police Force on 15th August, 1996 as a Cadet Inspector. I have served with the

 Kaduna, Anambra and Ogun State Commands of the Nigeria Police Force , Force C.I.D Alagbon and

 Zonal C.I.D Onikan from where I came to Maroko Police Division. I became the Divisional Police Officer of Maroko Police Division on 7th April, 2020. The Division covers Lekki Toll Gate, from 1004 to Lekki Phase 1 to Ikate Junction. 

OG : Do you know the implication of swearing on the Quoran  to tell the truth  and do you fear Allah , the owner of Life and the owner of the after life 

R: I swore to tell the truth by the Holy Quran and I fear Allah, the owner of life.

OG: Are you informed of what’s happening under your jurisdiction, are you on top of your situation as D P O ?

R: If it is brought to my notice. I am always on top of my situation.

OG: You are aware that this Panel is set up to look into Police Abuses.

R: I am aware.

OG: Are you aware that the Police is involved in extra-judicial killings and their response?

R: I am not aware.

OG: You are not aware of Police Officers being disciplined for extra-judicial killings?

R: I am not aware. I am aware of Orderly Room Trial…it is a disciplinary procedure for any Police officer that derails in the line of duty from the rank of Corporal to Inspector. From the rank of ASP upwards, the Police Officer would be given a query. Extra-judicial killing is the act of taking the life of an innocent person. I am conversant with the use of guns. In the past, I used to carry guns but since I became a leader, I choose not to carry gun. There is no DPO that cannot carry gun but I chose not to carry gun. We have AK47 Rifle, Smokegunners which is usually used in a riotous situation and a pistol. I am not entitled to a service pistol. 

I am fully aware of the #EndSARS protests. It started on 8th October, 2021 at Lekki Toll Gate and the second phase started on 10th October, 2021, which was a Saturday at the Ikoyi-Lekki link Bridge. My officers were there. I was there on the 8th and on the 10th October, 2021…I was watching the protesters and did traffic control on 8th October, 2020 with them. On 8th October, 2020, after they went for a walk, they came back in thousands and they blocked the entire road. Myself (sic) and the Assistant Commissioner of Police talked to the Protesters not to block the Expressway. 

The protest is not one day. No Police Officer was harassed in my jurisdiction on the 8th and 10th. The protest did not stop on the 10th. On the 11th October, there was no protest. They resumed back on the 12th which is a Monday. I was there on the 12th. The men that were armed were kept far away. I kept my men at Lekki Phase 1 Roundabout and very far from the Toll Gate with a Patrol vehicle, only one. On the 12th which was Monday, the protest took another   dimension, I tried to talk to them to allow other vehicles to pass, they did not yield to my instructions. They did not even allow an ambulance to pass. My men did not go near them. I was harassed. I was searched in my uniform, while I was trying to control the crowd, they said they have to search me whether I gave money to someone to disperse them…I allowed them to search me and they found out that I did not have money on me…I put it in my report.

OG: Where is the report? 

R: I do not have it here with me. 

I did not see any protester destroy anything on the 12th October…at Lekki environment, they did not….I was at the Toll Gate on the 13th at the normal distance. My men that were armed are very far from the venue…at the Lekki Roundabout and we watched from a distance in Patrol vehicles. It was a Thursday, we wore black and black. On Monday, we wear black and black, on Tuesdays, blue and black, Wednesday, blue and black…and on Friday, Saturday, Sunday, we wear this camouflage that I am wearing now. 

The protesters were in thousands. There is no way I could take pictures or videos of the situation. There was no way that they could be aggressive as we were far away. I did not get them provoked. Yes, they could see me. The protesters did not advance to me. The Governor came through Ozumba Mbadiwe Road. I went there…the Governor has his Police entourage….he told everybody to move back…Some of the organisers escorted the Governor. My men were in a different location. I did not follow the Governor. In the process of the Governor addressing the protesters , they threw pure  water, bottled water, urine  and stone at him …the Governor zoomed away.

OG: Did you do a video of the incident as a Senior Police Officer or make record?

R: I did not video it.

OG: Did you take pictures?

R: It will be suicidal or stupid to do that. There is no way that I could do that when people were  running helter skelter

OG: You too ran ? 

R: I did not run. The pure water met me while trying to save the Governor. The situation was tense. On the 14th, because of the dimension of the protest…no Policeman was deployed to the Lekki Toll Gate from the 14th …I never knew when the protest ended…I did not know how it ended…I was listening to Police radio…I heard about Police Stations being attacked… I did not know how the protests ended at the Lekki Toll Gate and when it ended…I did not know whether 20th October, 2020 was an extra-ordinary day at the Lekki Toll Gate. I was in my station on 20th October, 2020. Before 20th October, 2020, several attempts have been made to attack my station . At about 8: 30pm on 20th October ,2020 , people came to the station throwing bottles, we all came out and with the help of the neighbours, they  asked them to go…My men carried guns to defend the Station. I did not see the military at the Toll Gate .The distance of my Station from Lekki Toll Gate is 1km and I did not hear of any shootings at Lekki Toll Gate . How could I hear ?  there is a Bar behind my Station playing loud music 

OG: Are you aware  of the events at Lekki Toll  Gate by social media?

R: I am not aware

OG: When did you become aware of the event ?

R : I became aware on the 21st October

OG: What is your reaction to the allegation that you wore white and with  your men, you went to Lekki Toll Gate in the night after the soldiers left and shot at protesters?

R: It is fake news

OG: Are you aware that Premium Times asked you questions on your involvement in the events of 20th and 21st October, 2020?

R: No. I did not talk to them

OG: We apply to tender the flashdrive containing the Premium Times investigation “Bullets, Blood and Death”…. to prove that the witness   spoke to Premium Times...

P: The flashdrive is admitted and marked as Exhibit A(after strenous opposition to the admission of the flashdrive by Counsel to Lagos State Government ,  Lekki Concession Company  and the Nigeria Police )

OGUNLANA (reads out the the Text from the screen of the Premium Times Investigation) : " DPO of Maroko we see am face to face wey e blow one person head pull the skull off. Pistol. E wear white and white " one of them said in Pidgin.

"na only one him kill?" Another resident interjected in Pidgin. "What of the mad boy wey he shoot for our front here. Close range. There was a guy that was abnormal, he was at that speaker. He just came immediately, saw the boy, the boy didn't do anything. He didn't run, he didn't harass him, he just removed his pistol and blew the boy's head" yet another resident said.

The Maroko Police Division is directly opposite the shanty and on the right of the toll gate. 

When reached for comments, Mr. Ganiyu declined to respond, saying all requests for comment should be directed to the Lagos Public Relations Department. 

Also, the Police Public Relations Officer, Muyiwa Adejobi said any question about the shooting incident at Lekki Toll Gate would be decide by the judicial panel of inquiry set up by the state government into alleged atrocities committed by law enforcement officers.

"No comment on this for now" he said.

OGUNLANA: My Lord, I have no further questions for this witness