Biodun Bakare
The panel, governor Sanwo-Olu said, will start its sitting next Monday at the Lagos Court Arbitration Centre international in Lekki. He pressed members of the public to send their request and proof on the Lekki incident to the panel investigation.
Sanwo -Olu discoursed on Friday while moving round the state on an inspection of the things destroyed by the firebug.
The desecration of the court depicts, in part, the proportions of the Wednesday coordinated arsonist attacks on public assets and private property in Lagos.
The destruction was instigated by the mayhem that resulted from the protests against brutality committed by operatives of the disbanded Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS) aptly tagged #EndSARS
The governor appeared to be in disbelief at the sight of the proportions of destruction wreaked by hoodlums, who took advantage of the #EndSARS protest to destroy and loot.
Mr Sanwo-Olu, who was joined by the deputy governor, Obafemi Hamzat, and some members of the State’s Executive Council, stopped at every community affected by the violence, preaching peace and assuring residents that the government was on top of the situation.
At the headquarters of Ajeromi Ifelodun Local Government Area in Ajegunle, all that was left in the premises was the charred remains of the vehicles and office materials torched by the hoodlums. The imposing council’s secretariat was completely vandalised before it was razed.
Ajeromi Police Station, located in front of the council, was also razed. The barracks behind the station was not spared. Mr Sanwo-Olu sympathised with the policemen attached to the station and their families, who are now rendered homeless.
It was a traumatising moment for the governor when he visited the vandalised palace of the Oba of Lagos. Received by the palace chiefs led by Erelu Kuti of Lagos, Abiola Dosunmu, Mr Sanwo-Olu reeled in shock as he moved round the ravaged chambers in the palace built over a century ago.
The governor visited 27 locations across the state where government assets and private property were destroyed and assessed the level of the vandalism.
Mr Sanwo-Olu described the arson attack in Lagos as “coordinated wanton destruction”, saying it would take the State many decades to recover from the devastation.
“My heart bled after I went out today for a first-hand assessment of the destruction of assets of the Government and private properties,” he said.
“The level of destruction observed indicated that the violence was more than just a peaceful protest and agitations for police reforms. The proportion of the devastation is a lot. This is not the Lagos that was handed over to me on May 29, 2019.
“Moving forward from the destruction, we have to continue the process of healing ourselves. We need to stop some of our citizens still using the social media to instigate or incite the people.
“It will not be under my watch that we will lose the city that has the largest economy in the entire black nation. Enough is enough. I have moved round and I saw that our people want peace. On this, we are committed to bringing lasting peace back to the State.”
The governor also visited Reddington Lekki Hospital where some of the injured protesters were admitted after the shootings. All admitted persons had been discharged.
Mr Sanwo-Olu was also at the razed BRT Station in Berger and Oyingbo BRT Terminal, where over 80 brand new buses were burnt.
Government-owned and private assets inspected by the Governor include Orile Divisional Police Headquarters, Ajah Divisional headquarters, Amukoko Police Station on Cemetery Road, Lagos State Public Works Corporation in Ojodu, Lagos Island LGA Secretariat, City Hall, Nigeria Port Authority (NPA) Building at Marina, Lagos State DNA and Forensic Centre at CMS, Vehicle Inspection Service (VIS) headquarters in Ojodu and Toll Plazas at Lekki and Ikoyi Link Bridge, among others.
Mr Sanwo-Olu also visited his family house on Omidundun Street, Lagos Island, razed by the arsonists.
