Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu of Lagos State on Tuesday, October 13th, 2020 met with President Muhammadu Buhari and the Inspector General of Police, Mohammed Adamu in Abuja respectively for executive briefing. This is in fulfillment of his promise to thousands of protesters championing the EndSARS protests in Lagos.
Sanwo-Olu who travelled to Abuja shortly after addressing protesters at Alausa in Lagos, met with President Buhari at the Presidential Villa, Abuja to update him on the development in the State while the meeting with IGP Adamu took place at the Police Headquarters in Abuja.
The Governor during the meeting with President Buhari and IGP, presented the demands of Lagos youths on the need for the Federal Government to initiate reforms that will bring about positive change and a new orientation among officers of the Nigeria Police.
The reforms are part of the five-point demands of the #EndSARS protesters, who are currently campaigning to end all forms of brutality and extra judicial killings being committed by some operatives of the Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS) – the dissolved tactical unit in the Nigeria Police in Lagos.
While presenting the demands of the protesters officially to President Buhari, Sanwo-Olu said: “The protesters said we should release all the protesters and we have released them. They said we should set up a Trust Fund to pay compensation to the families of those who have died. I have set up my own Trust Fund today and I have announced it.”
“The third one, they said we should set up like a small enquiry for people that are bitter. So, tomorrow the IGP is coming to Governors’ Forum and he is going to ask each one of us to set up a five-man team.”
“The final one is that we should increase the salary of the Police. The IGP said he is working on that. The IGP said he is going to be working to take some of them through psycho-social treatment.”
“They would go to Force Hospital where they will go through a thorough medical evaluation. The ones that can still be absorbed; they will. Everything is working well.”
President Buhari in response to Governor Sanwo-Olu’s speech, commended the Lagos State Governor for working hard. He said; “Thank you so much for working so hard.”
Governor Sanwo-Olu, who had identified with protesters from the beginning, said their agitations are well legitimate. The Governor noted that the primary responsibility of the police or any law enforcement agency is to protect the citizens and not their tormentors.
It would be recalled that Governor Sanwo-Olu on Monday and Tuesday addressed protesters in Lekki and Alausa areas of Lagos State, where he promised to meet with President Buhari and the Inspector General of Police to present their case to them on the urgent need for Police reforms.
