Lagos State Governor, Mr Babajide Sanwo-Olu, told Becky Anderson of CNN in an interview on Monday that although he is not the commander-in-chief of the armed forces, those responsible for the shooting of protesters at the Lekii toll plaza last Tuesday, he said, would be brought to book.
He said this in a statement by his Chief Press Secretary, Gboyega Akosile.
The statement quoted the governor as speaking during an interview session on with Becky Anderson CNN, an American cable news network.
Sanwo-Olu said the Federal Government and Lagos State Government would ensure that anyone found culpable in last Tuesday’s shooting at the Lekki Toll Plaza would be held accountable for their actions.
He said, “We will be committed to a full investigation of what happened and people would be held accountable. They certainly would be held accountable. We would do everything possible to ensure that they are held accountable.
“People have claimed that their friends and family members have been killed. So, this Judicial Panel of Enquiry is meant to bring all of these stories to accountability; where we can make restitution, where families can prove and identify officers that were responsible for this.
“I am not the Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces; I am Governor of a State. The report would be out and we would channel the report to all the relevant authorities in the state to ensure that every one that is found culpable is accountable for the act.”
Sanwo-Olu also debunked the insinuation that international pressure persuaded President Muhammadu Buhari to speak out about what #EndSARS protesters demonstrated for.
“There are no international pressures whatsoever. These are genuine protesters that we all believe and we all have knowledge about. I was the first governor among governors, with due respect to all my other colleagues, who came out to meet with them, who started from the front. I carried the EndSARS flags with them. I met with them twice and we all had the rally together and worked together,” he added.
The Governor also expressed confidence that there would be a positive change as a result of what had happened in the past couple of days with protests in different parts of Nigeria by the youths.
“I genuinely believe there would be change for two reasons. One, what has happened, especially in Lagos is extremely unimaginable. Number two is that it was a clarion call for all of us in government, especially understanding and realising what the youths truly want us to be doing. So, it hit all of us like a thunderbolt and it was just a wake-up call,” he said.
