THE Nigerian army massacred protesters at a demonstration against police brutality last year, a leaked report has revealed.

Tens of thousands of mostly young people took to the streets in Lagos on October 20 2020 demanding that the Special Anti-Robbery Squad (Sars) be disbanded.

The report by an inquiry panel, leaked yesterday, identified 48 casualties caused by the army opening fire on the largely peaceful #EndSars protest at the city’s toll gate, but Amnesty International has previously said that at least 120 were killed.

Troops “shot, injured and killed unarmed helpless and defenceless protesters, without provocation or justification, while they were waving the Nigerian flag and singing the national anthem and the manner of assault and killing could in context be described as a massacre,” the inquiry found.

According to the panel, set up by Lagos state Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu, the soldiers also prevented wounded protesters from receiving life-saving medical help.

Police continued the violence after the army had withdrawn, as officers “shot at, assaulted and battered unarmed protesters, which led to injuries and deaths,” and tried to cover up the killings by taking bodies away on lorries and removing bullets, said the report.

Its conclusions contradict repeated denials by the army, national government and the Lagos state government that a massacre had been committed.

Mr Sanwo-Olu promised a “proper response” to the findings, saying: “This process will help us start the very difficult process of proper reconciliation, restitution, bringing together of anyone … affected.”

A white paper on the findings will be published within the next two weeks, the state governor added.

However, it was he who had originally ordered that troops be deployed against the demonstrators.

The government’s repression of the protests sparked a storm of international condemnation, leading to the disbandment of the infamous Sars unit, which had been accused of brutality, extortion, kidnappings and extrajudicial killings.