Ifeoluwa Adediran
The governor apologised to those who lost their loved ones during the period for failure to protect their lives.
The Governor of Lagos State, Babajide Sanwo-Olu, on Thursday, mourned the lives lost in the state during the #EndSARS protests.
In a post on Twitter, Mr Sanwo-Olu apologised to those who lost their loved ones during the period, for failure to protect lives that could have been protected.
Several persons were killed during the #EndSARS protest which has lasted for over two weeks in Lagos.
The victims include persons hit by stray bullets, police officers killed in mob action, and peaceful protesters killed at the Lekki toll gate.
“We mourn the lives we have lost across the state and to the families that we could have better protected, I sincerely apologise.
“To the police and law enforcement that have lost members, we mourn these important members of our community,” Mr Sanwo-Olu wrote.
He admitted that the Lekki incident, which he described as an “unfortunate incident” served as a catalyst that fueled anger and looting by thugs across the state.
The governor added that fake news, which had spread across social media, further caused chaos in the state.
PREMIUM TIMES reported how several state and private-owned facilities were set on fire across Lagos state on Wednesday, following the Lekki shooting.
Many police stations were also burnt by hoodlums and several attacks recorded in different parts of the state causing the death of many.
Mr Sanwo-Olu disclosed that his government was working on stabilising the state and restoring normalcy.
“Lagos will be stronger. We will rebuild bridges and we will deliver on the good work we started on ending police brutality and providing justice.
“We are working to stabilise things across the state as we look to rebuild. The state team is working with the hospitals and emergency services to verify the details of everyone involved in incidents across the state,” he wrote.
Addressing the Lekki shooting, Mr Sanwo-Olu said that reports of the removal of CCTV cameras at the Lekki toll gate were false and what were removed were infrared car scanners.
He added that “evidence from the surveillance cameras (which wasn’t removed) will be used to aid investigations into the incident and a panel will be constituted to probe the shooting.”
“I understand that tempers are high but we are beginning to get a clearer picture of the things that led us to this point and I want to ask us to be circumspect to avoid further losses and triggering other sentiments. Do not encourage thugs through parody and inciteful words.”
