#EndSARS Panel Report: ‘We Will Not Cover Up Anything’ – Gov Sanwo-Olu

Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu has said that his administration “will not cover up anything” when the report of the Lagos State judicial panel of enquiry and restitution for the victims of SARS-related human right abuses is finally submitted to the state government.

Sanwo-Olu stated on Thursday — a day after residents of the state and other parts of the country marked one-year remembrance of the October 2020 #EndSARS protests which reportedly resulted in loss of lives.

Some Lagos residents had congregated at the Lekki Toll Gate to demand justice for protesters allegedly killed by Nigerian soldiers at the toll gate on October 20, 2020.

Sanwo-Olu, in a Facebook post, said “I want to reassure everyone that government will ensure full disclosure by making the report public.”

The judicial panel, which sat for nearly one year, had taken allegations of human rights abuses against the police officers.

The panel also had the mandate to determine the cause of the coordinated attacks on public and private facilities in Lagos in the aftermath of the protests.

Sanwo-Olu wrote: “Lagos State Government, under my watch will not make any attempt to cover up the recommendations of the panel, whether it favours us or not.

“I am convinced that the panel report would be helpful in strengthening true reconciliation and help to prevent re-occurrence of violence in the State.

“We are currently facing the arduous task of rebuilding the state, one year after it was hit by a wave of arson attacks resulting from the EndSARS protests. Lagos recorded a huge loss in assets and resources, following the violence that trailed the protest, as public transportation infrastructure, court buildings, police stations, private properties and iconic assets were razed by arsonists on October 21, 2020.

“In the spirit of freedom of expression as guaranteed by the Constitution, I have ordered the release of those that were arrested for participating in a drive-through EndSARS memorial protest at the Lekki Tollgate yesterday except the person who was caught with dangerous weapons at the scene.

“The immediate task before us is to work together to rebuild Lagos and I extend a hand of fellowship to the youth to be stakeholders in the development of our State.”

The #EndSARS was a decentralized social movement which culminated in series of mass protests against police brutality and bad governance in parts of the country.