#EndSARS protests: Gov Sanwo-Olu suspends aide over social media post, misrepresentation

Lagos State Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu has suspended his Senior Special Assistant on Print Media, Wale Ajetunmobi, for what was described as the “misrepresentation of facts” on his personal X (formerly Twitter) account.

The suspension was confirmed on Tuesday in a statement by the governor’s Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Gboyega Akosile. According to the statement, the incident stemmed from a now-deleted post made by Ajetunmobi on November 23, in which he alleged that individuals who burned a media outlet during the 2020 #EndSARS protests were “hunted down and executed.”

“The full story of people who burnt down TVC in 2020 will be told one day, with gory clips and images. One thing to note: majority of them have been hunted down and executed,” he wrote on X with his handle @Riddwane

“One of them, a young boy trading in cooking gas around Ketu, was found with an AK-47 at the site. Even his neighbours were shocked. But the full gist is better saved for later.”

When asked to clarify his statement, he replied, “Lol… you want to create a narrative in your head. What is extrajudicial killing here? Some of the people were chased by soldiers and exchange of fire occurred.

“Then arsonists were overpowered and killed in the process. Others ran away. Is that an extra-judicial killing to you?”

‘That is Not Who We Are’

Days after the comment, Akosile said Governor Sanwo-Olu “wishes to state categorically that his administration frowns at any form of extra-judicial punishment and will not be a part of any such action. That is not who we are. That is not our way”.