Lagos State Governor, Babajide Sanwo-Olu reportedly compensated EndSARS victims with N100 million after initially denying the Lekki Tollgate Massacre.
This was revealed by social media user, Princess Banke Oniru, who claimed that some EndSARS protest coordinators were given millions of naira at different times.
Taking to her X page, Oniru shared that while initial funds offered by the Lagos State Government were rejected, coordinators later accepted and distributed large sums of money.
She even mentioned sending her assistant to collect N1.5 million and later N1 million from Sarah Ibrahim, a prominent figure in the protest, to be shared as giveaways.
Princess Banke Oniru wrote, “Following the EndSARS unrest, and during the panel of inquiry, the Lagos State Government’s initial funding offer was met with resistance.
“@sarahibrahim and associates then consulted Mr. Femi Falana regarding the substantial sum proposed for advisory purposes. Despite Mr. Falana’s counsel to accept the funds as a gift, I deemed it incongruous to accept financial compensation from those we were opposing, fearing it may undermine our integrity.
“The first funds Sarah called me to pick up was N1.5m. The second was N1m. I have proofs. Messages to back it up. The #endsars coordinators shared millions of money severally. Going back and forth to pick a Ghana must-go filled with cash at Alausa Ikeja.”
Oniru criticized the handling of the funds, claiming she had proof of the transactions, and noted that only the late lawyer Adeshina Ademola Ogunlana stood firmly for the protest cause without being compromised.
She added, “On two separate occasions, I entrusted my personal assistant to collect money from Sarah, ensuring she took photographs for evidentiary purposes.
“Afterward, I shared images of the funds received on EndSARS United and Competent Nigerians platforms for public dissemination as giveaways.
“Adeshina Ademola Ogunlana of blessed memories was the only lawyer that stood genuinely for the endsars. He can never be bought. Lagos offered N100 million”
However, Sarah Ibrahim countered these claims, explaining that although the Lagos State Government did offer N100 million, she rejected the money and suggested it be used to support victims of the Lekki Tollgate shooting.
She said that after consulting with her lawyers, including human rights advocate Femi Falana, she asked the government to allocate the funds properly to help victims’ families and those injured during the protest.
Ibrahim also revealed that the offer from the government came in two parts, totaling N100 million, but she insisted that the compensation be given according to the panel’s recommendations rather than through unofficial means.
She wrote,
Quote
“So yes, I was reached by the Lagos State Government to offer N100 million. A meeting they were trying to have for months but I kept refusing because I was rightfully pissed at them.
“Finally, I attended one of the meetings after speaking with my lawyer Fusika SAN, who then took me to also consult jointly with Falana SAN, on what to do.
“At one of the meetings, I attended with @akintollgate where one of Sanwo Olu’s commissioners apologised for what happened at the Toll Gate and wanted us to make amends.
“He spoke like a father, he was nice and very understanding and wanted us to make peace with the govt, and move on. Truthfully, his words calmed me. After all was said and blame passed back and forth, he stated there was a financial offer to us to cover for all we must have spent and gone through during the period, an amount of N100 million.
“Immediately I refused, I didn’t want to involve myself with it. And I spoke with Akin who agreed with my thought on it. I only requested that prosthetics be done for those who were amputated so that we can help them move around.”
“Finally, I attended one of the meetings after speaking with my lawyer Fusika SAN, who then took me to also consult jointly with Falana SAN, on what to do.
“At one of the meetings, I attended with @akintollgate where one of Sanwo Olu’s commissioners apologised for what happened at the Toll Gate and wanted us to make amends.
“He spoke like a father, he was nice and very understanding and wanted us to make peace with the govt, and move on. Truthfully, his words calmed me. After all was said and blame passed back and forth, he stated there was a financial offer to us to cover for all we must have spent and gone through during the period, an amount of N100 million.
“Immediately I refused, I didn’t want to involve myself with it. And I spoke with Akin who agreed with my thought on it. I only requested that prosthetics be done for those who were amputated so that we can help them move around.”
She claimed that upon rejecting the monetary offer, she started getting calls from families of victims and she had to change her stance.
“So after, I started getting calls from the victims, I was pissed. I went to the lawyers and told them what was happening. The govt informed me that the money was in cash and it was to be given to me, that I should come and pick it up and do with it what I wish.
“So speaking to Falana SAN, he then said if the govt is remorseful and wants to finally help those they shot and killed at the toll gate, let me not block it but allow it to happen.
“I told Falana SAN that I personally did not want anything to do with the money and I did not want to go pick it up like the govt wanted, and I wanted to stay out of it, and he immediately right there and then, wrote a letter for me and told me to give to the commissioner stating that the govt should do it the right way.
“The govt stated that the money was in two ranches of N50 million each and so there were two letters one stating N50 million and another stating the total of N100 million.
“I insisted that the govt should just give out the compensations as instructed by the panel, rather than this ‘backyard assistance’ like my dad called it,” she added.
Governor Sanwo-Olu’s spokesperson, Gboyega Akosile, has yet to respond to requests for comment regarding the alleged payment of funds to victims’ families and protest organizers.
Gistmania recalls that Sanwo-Olu faulted the report that some persons were killed at the toll gate when soldiers stormed the protest ground to disperse the EndSARS protesters.
The Lagos governor described a claim that nine persons were shot dead as “assumptions and speculations”, adding that he would not allow lies to fester over the incident that sparked a nationwide uproar in 2020.
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