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Lai Mohammed says ‘CNN were caught spreading fake news and they are trying to escape’
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4 years agoon
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NewsWireNGRThe Minister of Information and Culture, Lai Mohammed, has accused CNN of desperation over its second report on the Lekki toll plaza shootings that happened on October 20.
The Minister said this on NTA on Wednesday.
Recall that CNN had on Tuesday released a second ‘investigative report’ on the shootings at Lekki toll plaza during the #EndSARS protests amid threats of sanction from the Federal Government.
But the minister faulted CNN’s reports, saying it lacked credible sources.
When asked about the second CNN’s report, Mohammed said, “It shows that they (CNN) 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.
“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 (CNN) 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.”
CNN International crew had investigated the events of the Lekki Toll Gate Plaza, where unarmed protesters gathered to demand an end to the Special Anti-Robbery Squad, or SARS, a police unit accused of extrajudicial killings and abuses.
The detailed reporting exposed the Nigerian Governments role in the killings of unarmed protesters, the story also revealed and examined bullet casings found at the scene and confirmed with current and former Nigerian military sources that the bullet casings match those used by the Nigerian army officers who shot at protesters. Two ballistics experts confirmed with CNN that the shape of the bullet casings indicate they used live rounds, which contradicts the army’s claim they fired blanks.
NewsWireNGR reported that the Nigerian government has on Monday written a petition against CNN complaining about what it described as “its biased and unfair investigative report on the Lekki shootings.”
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