#EndSARS REPORT: Epe Forum to honour Sanwo-Olu’s invitation, says ‘We’ll match with you for the peace of Lagos’

*Background report of development

The DEFENDER reports that Governor Sanwo-Olu, in a statement Tuesday, faulted the JPI report part that wanted government to act on its “assumption” that a massacre or killing of nine persons was committed by soldiers at the Lekki Toll Gate, following intervention by military, who were on ground on invitation by the state government, to save the state from destruction and killings being perpetrated in parts of the state by the protesters.

By KEMI KASUMU

A pan Lagos socio-cultural and political organization, Epe Youth Forum (EYF), has expressed satisfaction with the speech of the Lagos State Governor Babajide Olusola Sanwo-Olu, over the report of the panel of enquiry, set up to investigate the 20 October, 2020 incident at the Lekki Toll Gate, during the ill-fated youth protest against the alleged brutality of some policemen and particularly SARS against innocent citizens.

Convener of the Forum, Ogbeni Olaale Oladipupo, in a chat with reporters in the ancient city of Epe, on Thursday, said, the governor’s speech, based on the report, was in tandem with the content of the report of the panel, saying, “we are solidly behind the workaholic governor on all the steps he plans to take to douse tension, heal wounds and facilitate peace in the state.”

According to him, it was against that premises that the Epe based Forum has resolved to partake in the Walk for Peace the governor has declared to embark upon this December, saying, “Hello, Governor Babajide Olusola Sanwo-Olu (BOS), you can bank on us over your proposed Peace Match and there is no going back on our preparedness over that.”

The Forum, which said it has gone through the speech has, therefore, given kudos to Sanwo-Olu over some aspects that it considered germane to the peaceful coexistence in the state as well as cordial relationship between the government, security agencies and the people, admitting that, the planned Match for Peace is part of the ingredients for sustainable peace.

Quoting from the governor’s speech, Ogbeni Oladipupo read out: “Moving forward, we shall facilitate better communication between our youths and the state’s security machinery to resolve issues before they become intractable. We will make it easier for our young people to initiate formal complaints on human rights violations through the Ministry of Justice.

“We will also improve the coordination between the state government and the security agencies, including the police and the military. In this vein, we are studying how to improve security policy formulation, information sharing, and clarifying rules of engagement in times of social unrest.”

Describing as heart-warming and gratifying, the Forum leader pointed the aspect of the speech that talked about the establishment of “a mechanism to compensate all those who lost homes, businesses, and livelihoods to the violent destruction of October 2020” and the proposed “establishment of a detailed procedure for the just compensation of citizens with verified claims of police brutality committed during the protests.”

Finally, the Forum declared that, “this December, when Sanwo-Olu would be will leading A WALK FOR PEACE to herald the healing of our land, we will part of it,”  adding that, “his open invitation to our youths, members of the diplomatic corps, civil society groups, students and the media as well as other stakeholders to join him has been accepted.”

Background

The DEFENDER reports that Governor Sanwo-Olu, in a statement Tuesday, faulted the JPI report part that wanted government to act on its “assumption” that a massacre or killing of nine persons was committed by soldiers at the Lekki Toll Gate, following intervention by military, who were on ground on invitation by the state government, to save the state from destruction and killings being perpetrated in parts of the state by the protesters.

The protesters had hitherto been tolerated as it was their right to peacefully protest against what they called police brutality and excesses of SARS against innocent members of the state community, until it was hijacked by elements, who were either hired by opposition politicians or enemies of Nigeria to seize the protest as a vehicle to achieving their post-2019 election plot to destroy and collapse Nigeria.

Not only the Federal Government but also many stakeholders in nation building based on truth and integrity of information management, after careful studies, had come out to declare that there was no single person that was killed by soldiers, whose presence at particularly Lekki area became necessary as proved by the Army at the Lagos EndSARS panel and at other forum.

Revelations from several quarters pointing to how some collaborative agents, including local and foreign media and supposed human rights activists, plotted the whole theory and narratives of ‘massacre’ have proved the claim as fake news rehashed as said by Federal Government, as they have no evidence, no single family has mourned or buried anyone or has come out, after one year of incident, to show either photographs or name of its member killed in the acclaimed massacre. Journalist Kemi Olunloyo even burst a name and photo found on the Lagos panel 2021 report on 2020 EndSARS incident as of one guy that was killed while watching football match in 2019.

The panel report has recommended that some Army officers be dismissed and others be deprived certain rights, based on the controversial report of incident that was clearly some protesters’ sponsored evils leading to killing identified police officers, setting on fire over 400 newly purchased BRT buses already working to ease transportation of the masses in Lagos State and others.

But Governor Sanwo-Olu, recognising his full powers as head of government with huge constitutional responsibility to punish either those that have been identified, either as panel members or protesters or even security people as either guilty as recommended or found to be misleading the public with their misinformation, said what Lagos needs at the moment is not to punish but reconstruct as system and people into a harmony structure through a walk for peace.  The likes of Macaroni and other sponsors of violent protests have rejected the invitation to peace by the governor. The Epe Youth Forum (EYF), in its own position, said to the governor, “We are with you”.