Kehinde Fajobi
Lagos State Governor, Babajide Sanwo-Olu, has suspended Wale Ajetunmobi, his Senior Special Assistant on Print Media, over controversial comments made on social media.
Ajetunmobi, in a now-deleted post on X (formerly Twitter) on November 23, claimed that several individuals who burned down Television Continental (TVC) during the #EndSARS protests in 2020 were “hunted down and executed.”
He wrote, “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: the majority of them have been hunted down and executed.
“One of them, a young boy trading in cooking gas around Ketu, was found with AK-47 at the site. Even his neighbours were shocked. But the full gist is better saved for later.”
When questioned by another X user, @hamoye4real, about his reference to “hunted down and executed,” Ajetunmobi dismissed allegations of extra-judicial killings.
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?”
In response to the backlash, Gboyega Akosile, Sanwo-Olu’s Chief Press Secretary, issued a statement on Tuesday announcing Ajetunmobi’s suspension.
“Mr. Ajetunmobi’s suspension comes on the heels of the misrepresentation of facts on his personal ‘X’ account on a past incident,” the statement read.
“The Governor 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.”
The incident revives memories of the #EndSARS protests of October 2020, during which young Nigerians demanded an end to police brutality by the Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS).
Following the infamous Lekki tollgate shooting on October 20, 2020, violence erupted, leading to attacks on public and private properties, including the TVC headquarters.
The Lagos government has repeatedly denied allegations that bodies recovered from the period were connected to the tollgate incident.
In August 2023, controversy resurfaced when a letter revealed that ₦61,285,000 had been approved by the Lagos government for the mass burial of 103 bodies linked to the #EndSARS protests.
The government insisted the deceased were not from the tollgate shootings.