Sanwo-Olu decries alleged brutality against Lekki protesters

• Urges police to investigate
• LCC gives reasons to reopen tollgate

Lagos State Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu, yesterday, condemned the alleged brutality against protesters at the Lekki tollgate. The governor, therefore, ordered the state’s Commissioner of Police, Hakeem Odumosu, to investigate the incident.

The state’s Commissioner for Information and Strategy, Mr. Gbenga Omotosho, disclosed this at a joint briefing by the state government and the Lekki Concession Company in Lagos. He reiterated that Lagos State government, under the leadership of Babajide Sanwo-Olu, would never trample on people’s rights.

MEANWHILE, making clarification on some issues, Managing Director, Lekki Concession Company (LCC), Yomi Omomuwasan, who spoke on alleged use of the firm’s operational vehicle to convey protesters at the tollgate, said that the vehicle was donated to the police to assist them as a logistical support.

He said: “We have operational vehicles. One of them is that donated to the police to assist them in their logistics support. On some people wearing LCC logo vests, remember that is our site and we have our men working around there but we didn’t engage in arresting people. We don’t have the power.”

Omomuwasan said the request to reopen the tollgate from the judicial panel of inquiry was based on the fact that the firm needs to assess the worth of the volume of valuables that was lost to the October 20, 2020 violent protest with the aim of getting the necessary insurance cover. He stressed that the reopening was not to immediately start tolling on the facilities.

The managing director of the LCC also stressed that an estimated N2.5 billion worth of assets were lost to the violent protest.

“As of 2011, we had N24 billion owned by local lenders and N49 billion borrowed from the International Development Bank. We need to bring a formal report of assessment of the damage back to our lenders because when you don’t pay, you are blacklisted. The claims could be verified. Assets would require a team of engineers both within and outside to do critical assessment. We need to do civil and electrical works, which cannot be completed within three months.

He also denied claims that the firm refused to give its full consideration to the forensic investigators from the judicial panel of inquiry, adding that all the needed support according to demand were rendered.