Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu of Lagos said he’ll be paying the sum of N5 million awarded by the court as compensation to an Uber driver, Adedotun Clement, who was assaulted during the first year anniversary of the EndSARS protest.
The victim was assaulted on October 20, 2021, by officials of the Lagos State Neighborhood Safety Agency and police officers at the Lekki Tollgate.
Mr Clement and his lawyer, Inibehe Effiong filed a N500 million lawsuit against the police and the state government agency in a court in Lagos State.
On March 14, the Lagos division of the high court ruled that the state government should pay N5 million as compensation to Mr Clement.
In a series of tweets on Saturday, Mr Sanwo-Olu said he was willing to pay the compensation and would uphold the rule of law and protect citizens rights.
He added that he had directed the state’s attorney-general, Moyosore Onigbanjo, to set up a meeting to pay the compensation awarded by the court.
“Good evening Lagos, as Governor, I’m committed to upholding the rule of law and protecting citizens’ rights with empathy and authority,” he said.
“I recently became aware of the case involving Mr. Clement Adedotun and the judgement by the Federal High Court, and I understand the impact this legal battle has had on him.
“After reviewing Mr. Clement’s case, I’ve directed the Honorable Attorney General to set up a meeting and pay him the compensation awarded by the Court,” Mr Sanwo-Olu said.
Mr Sanwo-Olu said the state government will not appeal the ruling of the high Court, but would instead comply with the court’s ruling for public good. He assured Lagosians that he was committed to upholding their human rights and commended the applicants for seeking justice.
“Although the State Government has appealed the ruling, I’ve interceded in this instance in the interest of the public good, and requested that the State’s Attorney General comply with the court’s ruling,” Mr Sanwo-Olu said.
“As a strong advocate for the rule of law, I commend all parties for seeking justice through the appropriate channels, and I remain committed to upholding the rights of all Lagosians,” he added.
