FIJ
A letter addressed to Babajide Sanwo-Olu, the Lagos State governor, appears to confirm the government acknowledged the October 2020 #EndSARS massacre happened, and they offered N100 million to victims.
Four years after the incident, some people still argue over whether the military shot and killed protesters on that fateful day.
Protesters had gathered at Lekki Tollgate as they did for days, but that Tuesday was different. The state put a curfew in place, but the young protesters were defiant and intent on demanding an end to police brutality. What followed were bullets and death.
On Sunday evening, Serah Ibrahim, one of the protesters the state government’s panel of inquiry awarded N10 million to, shared on X a letter she addressed to the governor through Gbenga Omotosho, the commissioner for information.
In this letter dated August 2, 2022, Ibrahim said, “I hereby acknowledge your kind approach to me with an offer to put me in purse to the tune of N100 million to use to render assistance to EndSARS Lekki Toll victims within my knowledge and discretion.”
Ibrahim said via X that the government offered compensation in cash and asked that she and other victims attend a meeting on July 2, 2022, to receive the money.
“The day they attended the meeting to get their cash, I didn’t go. The meeting was for 10 am, but the government told those present that if I didn’t attend it, they wouldn’t get it,” she shared via a post. “I was pissed they refused to use transfers because I really wanted that evidence.”
She also shared a screenshot of a WhatsApp conversation she had with one ‘Olamide Gudoo’. This person claimed “the commissioner” arrived sometime around 1:35 pm.
On Monday morning, FIJ called Omotosho but he did not answer. FIJ also called Gboyega Akosile, Special Adviser to the Governor on Media, but he did not take FIJ’s calls. He also did not respond to a text message FIJ sent to him.
In July 2024, Justice Koroma Mohamed Sengu, the Judge Rapporteur of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) Community Court of Justice, declared the Nigerian government guilty of “disproportionate use of force” on protesters at the tollgate.
In a landmark ruling, the court ordered the government to pay N2 million in compensation to each victim named in the suit.
This followed years of government denial and accusations against protesters. On one occasion, Lai Muhammed, Minister for Information and Culture at the time, claimed protesters fabricated videos of fallen victims. He also described the Lagos Panel of Inquiry’s report as fake.
THIS STORY FIRST APPEARED IN FIJ
