Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu has again apologised to the people of Lagos over the loss of lives and destruction of property in the state as as a fallout of the #EndSARS protests.
The protests which was largely peaceful turned violent after security men fired into a mass of Youths at Lekki toll gate, killing a number of them.
Amnesty International put the number of death at 12, but Lagos governor said that there was no casualty from the dark incident of Tuesday night.
The following days of Wednesday and Thursday saw the nation erupting in anger and fury with killings and looting reported across the country especially in the southern part.
Sanwo-Olu in a message posted on his Instagram handle, writes “We mourn the lives we have sadly lost across the state. To the families that we could have better protected, I sincerely apologise.To the police and law enforcement that lost members, we also mourn them. Every life is important to us. And we do not take anyone for granted.
“I was on Arise TV where I spoke on the efforts we’re making to return normalcy to our state. I mentioned my call to the President after which the Chief of Defence Staff called to assure us on helping to restoring security to our state. Lagos will be stronger. We will rebuild bridges, we will deliver on the good work we started on ending police brutality and providing justice.
“The unfortunate incident that happened served as a catalyst that fueled anger and looting by thugs across the state. False news and baiting was also spread across social media further causing more chaos. We indeed apologize for all the losses. 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.READ ALSO #EndSARS: Atiku cautions Buhari against use of force on protesters
“I understand that tempers are high but we are beginning to get a clearer picture of what 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 conflict through parody and innocent but inciteful words.
“On our work to end police brutality, our panel is ready to begin work. We want to find justice and provide compensation for victims to the best of our abilities.
We encourage the youth to provide 2 representatives to join the judicial panel. I want to implore Lagosians on the need to come together for genuine reconciliation to forge a better and stronger Lagos
“Lagos is the center of excellence, a symbol of national pride and we need to protect it.
Once again, for all that has gone wrong in the past few days, I totally apologize. It is my Lagos, your Lagos, our Lagos. We will protect our home. God bless Lagos State.”
