President Muhammadu Buhari on Tuesday said the foreign press coverage of the recent #EndSARS violence was not balanced, citing specifically the Cable News Network and the British Broadcasting Corporation.
Since the second week of October, youths across the country led the #EndSARS protests which were peaceful gatherings to protest against police brutality and bad governance until October 20, 2020, when the Nigerian Army dispersed #EndSARS protesters with gunshots at the Lekki toll gate in Lagos.
In a report on the incident, CNN alleged that soldiers used live bullets on the protesters, but the army has repeatedly denied this allegation, claiming it only fired blank shots into the air.
The BBC also showed the footage of the shooting and confirmed that peaceful protesters were shot at.
Speaking during a meeting with governors of the 36 states, President Buhari said he was disgusted with the coverage of the two foreign press organizations.
“I was disgusted by the coverage, which did not give attention to the policemen that were killed, the stations that were burnt, and prisons that were opened. (They said we are all at fault. We don’t have the sympathy of anyone. We are on our own),” Garba Shehu, the presidential spokesman, quoted Buhari to have said.
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