Lagos State Governor, Babajide Sanwo-Olu Tuesday has released its White Paper on the report submitted by the EndSARS Judicial Panel of Inquiry.
The Commissioner for Information and Strategy, Gbenga Omotoso disclosed this in a statement obtained by DAILY GIST on Tuesday night
DAILY GIST understands that White Paper is an administrative medium for conveying the decision or position of the government on the report of an administrative or judicial enquiry.
He noted that the development was “in fulfilment of the promise made by Governor Babajide Olusola Sanwo-Olu during his State broadcast earlier today (Tuesday).
The white paper contains Lagos State statement on the controversial judicial panel report.
Following the controversy that trailed the Killing of protesters on October 20, 2020 at lekki tollgate, Sanwo-Olu had set up judicial panel to investigate the shooting of unarmed protesters by Nigeria soldiers and police.
The judicial panel submitted its reports one on cases of police brutality in the state and another on the killings of the anti-police brutality protesters on November 15.
The judicial panel in it’s report said what happened at lekki tollgate “could in context be described as a massacre”.
According to Sanwo-olu, a four-member committee headed by the Attorney-General, the Commissioner for Youths and Social Development, the Special Adviser on Works and Infrastructure and the Permanent Secretary, the Cabinet office produced the white paper.
In the white paper document, the Lagos state government says out of the 32 recommendations by the panel, it has accepted 11, accepted 6 modifications, and rejects one.
According to the document released, 14 of the recommendations fall outside the powers of the state and will be forwarded to the Federal Government for consideration.
The documents reads;
‘Highlight of the Lagos Government White Paper On The Lekki Incident Investigation’, he said, “Out of the 32 Recommendations made by the JPI in its Report of 15th November 2021, Government accepted 11, rejected one and accepted six with modifications.
“Fourteen recommendations fall outside the powers of the Lagos State Government and will be forwarded to the Federal Government for consideration. Let the healing begin.”
The details of the accepted, rejected or modified recommendations however not known yet.
The state government faulted the panel’s claim that Nigerian security forces killed at least nine unarmed protesters at the toll gate and cleaned up evidence of the alleged killings.
Recall that in a report of the judicial panel, at least nine #EndSARS protesters were reportedly killed at the Lekki tollgate on October 20, 2020.
But the state government in it’s statement rejected the panel’s report that nine persons were killed at the toll gate when soldiers stormed the protest ground and opened fire on protesters.
It described the claim of the panel that nine persons were shot dead as “assumptions and speculations”.
