By using this site, you agree to the Privacy Policy and Terms of Use.
Accept
Crown Lovers MagazineCrown Lovers Magazine
  • HOME
  • NEWS
  • EVENT
  • MUSIC
  • LIFESTYLE
  • ENTERTAINMENT
  • BRAND PROMOTION
    • ADVERT
Search
© 2022 Foxiz News Network. Ruby Design Company. All Rights Reserved.
Reading: Lekki shooting: ‘Your report is capable of setting Nigeria on fire’ — Lai Mohammed writes CNN
Share
Sign In
Notification Show More
Latest News
Troops ambush bandits, neutralise 10, destroy camps in Chikun, Birnin Gwari, Giwa LGAs in Kaduna
NEWS
Vector Marries Yinka Coker In Private Ceremony (Video)
ENTERTAINMENT
Jigawa’s Governor Badaru signs 2023 budget into law
NEWS
Veteran actress, Nkiru Sylvanus ‘Ble-Ble’ triggers reactions with new post
ENTERTAINMENT
Biafra, Oduduwa Republic ‘ll come to pass – Primate Ayodele releases new prophecies
NEWS
Aa
Crown Lovers MagazineCrown Lovers Magazine
Aa
  • HOME
  • NEWS
  • EVENT
  • MUSIC
  • LIFESTYLE
  • ENTERTAINMENT
  • BRAND PROMOTION
Search
  • HOME
  • NEWS
  • EVENT
  • MUSIC
  • LIFESTYLE
  • ENTERTAINMENT
  • BRAND PROMOTION
    • ADVERT
Have an existing account? Sign In
Follow US
© 2022 Foxiz News Network. Ruby Design Company. All Rights Reserved.
Crown Lovers Magazine > Blog > NEWS > Lekki shooting: ‘Your report is capable of setting Nigeria on fire’ — Lai Mohammed writes CNN
NEWS

Lekki shooting: ‘Your report is capable of setting Nigeria on fire’ — Lai Mohammed writes CNN

admin
Last updated: 2020/11/24 at 8:28 AM
admin
Share
5 Min Read
SHARE

The Federal government has written a letter to CNN, condemning its documentary on the October 20 shooting incident at the Lekki tollgate in Lagos, saying the report is capable of setting the nation on fire.

Recall that during the EndSARS protest, military men stormed the toll plaza while the protesters were gathered for the daily protest.

In a documentary released last week, CNN alleged that soldiers used live bullets on the protesters. The media house also shared videos of what appears to be soldiers shooting directly at the protesters. The Nigerian Army has repeatedly denied reports of using live bullets on the protesters, insisting they only used blank bullets.

In a letter dated November 23 and addressed to Jonathan Hawkins, VP, communications, CNN, the Minister of Information, Lai Mohammed, said the report fell short of journalistic standards and also reinforced the disinformation that is going around on the issue.

The Minister also averred that the media house failed to show a balanced reportage.

The letter in part reads

“Our attention has been drawn to an ‘investigation’ by CNN, entitled ‘How a Bloody Night of Bullets Quashed a Young Protest Movement’ and aired on 18 Nov. 2020, in which the international news organization said it had ”uncovered that Nigerian security forces opened fire on unarmed protesters” at the Lekki Toll Gate in Lagos, Nigeria, during the #EndSARS protest,” the letter read.

“In the first instance, the report did not live up to the most basic of the core principles of journalism – balance and fairness.

“Rushing to air such a momentous story without presenting the government’s side is inexcusable and indefensible. CNN said it contacted over 100 protesters and family members, but did not speak to one official of Nigeria’s federal government. While CNN said there was no response from the army and that officials of Lagos State would not speak in view of the Judicial Panel that is investigating the matter, it did not say what effort it made to speak with any official of the federal government.

“The truth is that CNN did not even attempt to reach the federal government. Nima Elbagir, who presented the report and most probably led the investigation, is conversant with the Minister of Information and Culture, yet did not say that she even tried to reach the Minister.

“Another serious breach by CNN, in its ‘investigation’, is that the network relied heavily on unverified footages it harvested from social media. CNN was not present at the Lekki Toll Gate on the night of the incident. Neither its reporter nor cameraman was there, but it relied on eyewitnesses.

“CNN has said it stands by its story, and that ‘our reporting was carefully and meticulously researched’, this is baffling, considering that the story lacks fairness and balance, as we have pointed out, and that the organization relied heavily on manipulated social media videos. This resort to an escapist cliche seems more like a face-saving measure by an otherwise respectable news network caught in the blinding glare of ‘fake news and disinformation’ headlamps.

“CNN, in its rush to nail soldiers and tell a ‘radically different story’, conveniently left out these parts of the Godson video, which could have shown that armed hoodlums invaded the Lekki Toll Gate that night, and could have hit any of the protesters as they shot sporadically. This is clearly a ploy by the CNN reporter/presenter to manipulate viewers of its ‘investigative’ report and force them to draw the reporter’s desired conclusion!

“As a form of remediation, Nigeria’s Federal Government demands an immediate and exhaustive investigation from CNN into its ‘investigative’ report on the Lekki Toll Gate incident to determine, among others, its authenticity, whether or not it met the basic standards of journalism and also the selective use of unverified social media videos to manipulate public opinion. While it is up to CNN to accede or not, please note that the Federal Government reserves the right to take any action within its laws to prevent CNN from aggravating the #EndSARS crisis with unprofessional, irresponsible, one-sided, inciting and sensational reporting that is capable of pitching Nigerians against themselves and setting the country on fire.”

You Might Also Like

Troops ambush bandits, neutralise 10, destroy camps in Chikun, Birnin Gwari, Giwa LGAs in Kaduna

Jigawa’s Governor Badaru signs 2023 budget into law

Biafra, Oduduwa Republic ‘ll come to pass – Primate Ayodele releases new prophecies

2023 elections: Ensure logistic challenges do not mar polls, group warns INEC

TAGGED: CNN, Lai Mohammed

Sign Up For Daily Newsletter

Be keep up! Get the latest breaking news delivered straight to your inbox.
[mc4wp_form]
By signing up, you agree to our Terms of Use and acknowledge the data practices in our Privacy Policy. You may unsubscribe at any time.
admin November 24, 2020
Share this Article
Facebook Twitter Copy Link Print
Share
Previous Article FG appeals to Nigerians not to travel home for the festivities due to Coronavirus
Next Article If we keep our promises, APC will retain power in 2023 – Babtunde Fashola says
Leave a comment Leave a comment

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Stay Connected

235.3k Followers Like
69.1k Followers Follow
11.6k Followers Pin
56.4k Followers Follow
136k Subscribers Subscribe
4.4k Followers Follow
- Advertisement -
Ad imageAd image

Latest News

Troops ambush bandits, neutralise 10, destroy camps in Chikun, Birnin Gwari, Giwa LGAs in Kaduna
NEWS December 23, 2022
Vector Marries Yinka Coker In Private Ceremony (Video)
ENTERTAINMENT December 23, 2022
Jigawa’s Governor Badaru signs 2023 budget into law
NEWS December 23, 2022
Veteran actress, Nkiru Sylvanus ‘Ble-Ble’ triggers reactions with new post
ENTERTAINMENT December 23, 2022
//

We influence 20 million users and is the number one business and technology news network on the planet

Sign Up for Our Newsletter

Subscribe to our newsletter to get our newest articles instantly!

[mc4wp_form id=”847″]

Crown Lovers MagazineCrown Lovers Magazine
Follow US

© 2022 Crown Lovers Magazine. All Rights Reserved

Join Us!

Subscribe to our newsletter and never miss our latest news, podcasts etc..

[mc4wp_form]
Zero spam, Unsubscribe at any time.

Removed from reading list

Undo
Welcome Back!

Sign in to your account

Lost your password?