Instagram has apologised for repeatedly flagging posts showing the #LekkiTollMassacre as fake news.
According to Instagram, its “systems were incorrectly flagging content in support of #EndSARS.”
The company further apologised for marking posts as false, admitting that it had let its community down in a time of need.
Instagram also added that it has now resolved the issue, and fixed the problem.
The gruesome massacre of unarmed protesters by men in military uniforms took the country by surprise.
Following the incident, people took to their social apps to share pictures as they made rounds on the internet.
The pictures showed a bloodied flag of Nigeria as well as dead bodies wrapped in the flag.
People also posted images of LCC (Lekki Conservation Centre) staff removing the CCTV cameras at the toll gate before the massacre.
Live shots of victims suffering from gunshot wounds as aired by DJ Switch also circulated on Facebook and Instagram.
As many of these pictures continued to unfold, Instagram and Facebook did well to shield the images from the public’s eye.
The posts were covered entirely with a tag describing them as misinformation.
A good number of people who had their posts flagged expressed dissatisfaction with the action.
Many of them took to Instagram’s competitor, Twitter, to express their anger at the CEO of Facebook, Mark Zuckerberg.
People also made sure to applaud Jack Dorsey, CEO of Twitter Inc., who had earlier showed his support towards the #EndSARS movement.
Regardless of Instagram’s apology, people still seem disappointed at the social app.
Some people described the statement as a mere excuse after frustrating the efforts of Nigerian youths.
ALSO READ: #EndSARS: Buhari Scolds International Voices Against Police Brutality, Killings Of Protesters
What happened at #BlackTuesday?
On Tuesday, October 20, 2020, events at the Lekki Toll Gate shattered the country.
After the government of Lagos State announced the 9 pm curfew, questionable things began happening.
Eyewitnesses first reported that LCC staff came to take down the cameras at the tollgate.
Not long after, the billboard lights and street lights allegedly went off.
Men in military uniforms believed to be the Nigerian army appeared, and soon the worst happened.
The military men unleashed bullets on the peaceful protesters even while they waved the Nigerian flag and sang the national anthem.
Lives have allegedly been lost, and many suffered from gunshot wounds spanning from what is perceived to have been a planned attack.
The Nigerian army has tagged the incidents of Tuesday as fake news. And in the meantime, no authority has owned up to the attack.
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