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ENDSARS: Fresh Stench From Sanwo-Olu’s Mass Grave (1) [OPINION]

Published

2 years ago

July 28, 2023

Editor

Tunde Odesola

It is the saddest night of October 2020. Nobody spoke except the shovels in their hands, heaping sand on slain bodies, bones and blood in a shallow mass grave. Secretly, they buried a great number of unnamed, unfortunate citizens in the still of the night. One, two, three…20, 30, 40, 50, 60, 70, 80, 90, 100, and more and more corpses. Did the Fulani-Oyo War kill that much?

After the indecent burial, the undertakers left for home, wiping sweat off their dirty brows, their heavy boots stained with blood-red earth. Compunction is not a function of their heart.

Theirs was a cycle of tragedy, the victims. They suffered while alive, died horrible deaths, and were dumped in a mass grave by the caring Lagos State Government.

On your mark, get set, go! A sprinter and a marathoner set out on a race around the earth. The sprinter shoots forward like a bullet and is gone out of sight. Unperturbed, the marathoner gets off the block – slow, steady and sure-footed.

Bullets don’t fly forever. But the wind does. After the trigger clicks, bullets soon lose their speed, poison and they drop flat. But the wind, silent and unseen, goes on and on and on like forever.

The sprinter-marathoner and bullet-wind metaphors are my picturalisation of falsehood and truth. Many a time when falsehood bolts out on a race, truth is in bed, snoring. Truth, never in a hurry, effusing its fragrance, is certain to overpower the odour of falsehood in the long run.

Another metaphor. Thunder and lightning! Both are energies: one is sound, the other is light. Falsehood rumbles like thunder, heard far and near. Truth is silent like lightning, its light travels 670 million mph in contrast to thunder’s sound which travels 768 mph. Like lightning, truth kills its adversaries, but thunder is impotent like falsehood – all sound and fury, signifying nothing.

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Who goes there? Friend or foe? I’m a friend; a friend to truth. I’m an enemy of falsehood, injustice and wickedness. But I’m not an enemy of Governor Babajide Olusola Sanwo-Olu, the little BOSs of Lagos, crouching behind the real BOSS, who departed Bourdillion to live on the Rock in Abuja. I’m an honest friend of the governor and the govfather. And, I’m here ready to defend the little BOSs against unhealable ENDSARS activities, activists and victims.

It’s sad the enemies of Sanwo-Olu won’t allow him to ‘drink water and keep cup’ since the bitter 2023 governorship election in Lagos State. It’s sad the ghosts of ENDSARS victims mowed down by government forces in various parts of Lagos won’t just rest in peace. It’s sad the legs of the corpses won’t stay buried in the grave, they just keep sticking out, pointing accusing toes at Abuja who sent out the messengers of death, and the little boss who did the dirty job of giving a descent burial to the wretched souls.

I’ll defend Sanwo-Olu. Yes, I’ll. What did the protesters expect when they laid siege to the city, and disrupted buying and stealing? Sorry, I mean, selling. Did they think they were in Ghana, the Benin Republic, US or UK? Didn’t they know that he, who said, “The dog and baboon would be soaked in blood,” was in power? Didn’t they know that the man who asked mourning Akure people to show proof that herdsmen killed their daughter, was eyeing the ultimate prize? Did they expect the government to fold its hands and watch political investments go down in ruin?

I’ll tell some truth. After jackboots cracked skulls, twisted ribs and broke limbs at the Lekki tollgate, a fidgety Sanwo-Olu washed his hands off the dastardly act, telling Nigerians he didn’t know who deployed soldiers to ambush the protesting youths. In a ThisDay story, Sanwo-Olu said, “I don’t know how the officers got it all wrong because the instruction we gave was that the police won’t be out until 10–10:30pm when all citizens should have gotten to their homes. This is totally against what we stand for.”

More words spew forth from his mouth, “The army does not report to me, I have reported the matter to the highest command in the military. It’s not something we are going to gloss over. A judicial panel will be set up to investigate it. I have escalated it to the highest level of the military.”

The BOSS of BOSs, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, during a visit to Sanwo-Olu, said, “If he (Sanwo-Olu) didn’t order the attack, who ordered the attack? That’s all I needed from him.”

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But the Nigerian Army shot down the defence of Sanwo-Olu, saying the governor invited the military. The Army’s response wasn’t done in a hurry, like most of the actions of Sanwo-Olu. It took one week of measured silence for the Army to respond to Sanwo-Olu.

Reacting, then spokesperson for the Nigerian Army, Major Osoba Olaniyi, in a statement, said the Lagos State Government invited it to the tollgate to enforce a curfew. “The decision to call in the police was taken by the Lagos State Government after a 24-hour curfew was imposed…The situation was fast degenerating into anarchy. It was at this point that LASG requested for the military to intervene in order to restore normalcy.”

After the rebuttal by the Army, the state government, in a volte-face, said the governor never denied calling in the Army. But he also never admitted to inviting them at all! So, who’s shifty here? Why make the Army look as if they came into the fray uninvited? That doesn’t show a chief executive with balls. That was cheap.

A Senior Special Assistant to Sanwo-Olu on New Media, Mr Jubril Gawat, later said, “Mr Governor never denied this. They were supposed to come after the curfew.”

When the truth got lost between the Army and the state government over who invited soldiers to Lekki, Nigerians would be foolish to believe the wolf cry by both institutions that no life was lost at Lekki.

I won’t taint Governor Sanwo-Olu with a bloody brush. I won’t allow uncouth youths and misdirected activists to malign him. So, I’ll charge the governor to release the Justice Doris Okuwobi panel report on the ENDSARS riots in Lagos. Since the panel was established in the interest of the masses, and the panellists were paid with taxpayers’ money, I advise the husband of Ibijoke to release the report and shame the devil. I’ll defend Sanwo-Olu and stand by him.

Before the governor heeds my advice, let me give a sneak preview of the report.

A leaked report published by Al Jazeera on November 16, 2021, titled, “Panel of inquiry finds Nigerian Army culpable in Lekki ‘massacre’,” said the Nigerian Army was culpable of shooting and killing unarmed citizens protesting police brutality at Lekki.

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The report was the findings by the Justice Doris Okuwobi panel established by the state government to look into the ENDSARS crisis and proffer recommendations.

Quoting the report, Al Jazeera said, “At the Lekki Toll Gate, officers of the Nigerian Army shot, injured and killed unarmed, hapless and defenceless protesters, without provocation of justification, while they were waiving the Nigerian flag and singing the national anthem and the manner of assault and killing, could in context be described as a massacre.”

There was light at the toll gate before the soldiers moved in. There were surveillance cameras, too. When the soldiers from 81 Division left their barracks on Victoria Island and neared Waterloo, the lights and cameras went off. In the total darkness, light sparked from gun muzzles, faces contorted in horror, and guns sparkled. The government didn’t deny lights and cameras were switched off.

Who switched off the lights? And the cameras? Why switch off the lights and the cameras? America recorded the killing of Osama bin Laden and showed it to the world. I’ve seen videos of the Biafra War, Sudan War, Falkland Island War etc. Why switch off the lights and cameras just to quell a civilian riot? Then, where’s the video of the cleaning up of the Lekki tollgate after the beat stopped for many of the innocent and peaceful rioters? What’s the content of the camera recovered by a former Lagos State governor, Babatunde Fashola, at the toll gate?

To be continued.

Tunde Odesola is a senior journalist, columnist with The PUNCH newspaper and a guest writer in INFO DAILY.

Email: tundeodes2003@yahoo.com
Facebook: @Tunde Odesola
Twitter: @Tunde_Odesola

News

Police Urge Bauchi Residents To Remain Calm Amidst Soldier’s Death In Bauchi

Published

5 hours ago

August 29, 2025

Editor

The Police in Bauchi state has called on all the residents of the state to remain calm after a soldier was shot dead by a police officer in the state.

CSP Ahmed Wakil, the Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO) made the call on behalf of the Commissioner of Police in the state, Sani Omolori-Aliyu.

According to him, Inter-agency security forces have initiated a thorough investigation into the circumstances surrounding the unfortunate incident which led to the death of the soldier.

The PPRO recalled how a blogger narrated the incident that a member of the Nigerian Army attached to 33 Artillery Brigade was fatally shot while attempting to intercept a truck suspected of transporting solid minerals from an illegal mining site in Futuk, Alkaleri Local Government Area of the state by a mobile police Inspector on illegal duty.

News

How Becoming Bank Manager At 27 Changed My Life, Tony Elumelu Urges Trust In Africa’s Youths

Published

6 hours ago

August 29, 2025

Editor

Prominent African businessman and philanthropist, Tony Elumelu, has reflected on the defining moment of his early career when he was appointed a bank branch manager at just 27 years old.

In a post shared on his LinkedIn page on Tuesday, Elumelu recounted how his appointment at AllStates Trust Bank changed the trajectory of his life and shaped his passion for empowering young people.

“When I was 27, I was given the opportunity of a lifetime: I became a branch manager at AllStates Trust Bank, a young bank in Nigeria.

“Banking was beginning to change the country, it was the sector to be in, ripe for transformation, ready for disruption, for democratisation.

“At that time, few believed a 27-year-old could successfully lead a bank branch. But that opportunity changed the entire course of my life.

“It gave me confidence. It gave me a platform. Most importantly, it gave me perspective,” he wrote.

Elumelu, who is the founder of the Tony Elumelu Foundation and chairs Heirs Holdings and United Bank for Africa, noted that his journey began not with financial capital but with trust.

His post continued, “That’s why today, I am passionate about giving young people the same chance I was given. Because I know what’s possible when someone believes in you early.

“This belief is at the heart of everything we do at The Tony Elumelu Foundation. It’s why we invest in young African entrepreneurs – because someone once invested in me.

“My journey didn’t begin with capital. It began with trust. Let’s keep believing in Africa’s youth. They are ready to lead, grow and transform our continent.”

In a follow-up post on X on Friday, the business leader further highlighted three lessons from his experience as a young bank manager.

“Shared recently on my LinkedIn page how I became a bank manager at just 27. I got a lot of questions. One stood out: How could someone so young handle such responsibility?

“Many doubted a young man could lead a bank branch. That chance changed the entire course of my life,” he wrote.

Outlining the lessons from his journey, Elumelu wrote, “Lesson 1: Age is not a barrier. If you can execute, are hungry to learn, and committed to results — you can lead at any age. Leadership is about clarity of vision and that discipline to execute.

“Lesson 2: The most powerful capital is trust. My journey didn’t start with money — it started with trust. Trust was the seed that propelled everything else. Give young people trust, and they will surprise you. I was trusted, I repaid that trust.”

In the third lesson, Elumelu explained why perspective matters in leadership.

He wrote, “Leadership is not about doing everything yourself. It is about empowering, setting direction, and providing clarity. The sooner you learn this, the faster you grow.

“That’s why today, I am passionate about giving young people the same chance I was given. Cascading luck. Catalysing opportunity.”

Elumelu said these principles continue to drive his commitment to youth empowerment through his foundation.

“It is the reason we invest in Africa’s youths at the #TonyElumeluFDN, because someone once invested in me,” he wrote.

“My story is proof that when we trust in our youths, they are ready to lead, grow, and transform our continent. Let’s keep believing in Africa’s youths,” he concluded.

News

Lawyer Sues Sanwo-Olu For Blocking Him On X

Published

7 hours ago

August 29, 2025

Editor

Human rights lawyer, Festus Ogun, has filed a lawsuit against Lagos State Governor, Babajide Sanwo-Olu, at the Federal High Court in Lagos for allegedly violating his fundamental rights by blocking him on his verified X (formerly Twitter) account.

In the suit marked FHC/L/CS/1739/25, which was shared by Ogun on Friday via his facebook page, he said the governor’s decision to block him since 2021 was triggered by his “constructive criticisms” and “demand for accountability” over the October 2020 #EndSARS killings.

“In 2021, I noticed that the Governor blocked me on his official X handle @jidesanwoolu owing to my constructive criticisms of his policies and demand for accountability in respect of the October 2020 #EndSARS Massacre,” Ogun wrote.

According to him, being blocked has deprived him of access to vital information.

“Blocking me on X has prevented me from accessing public updates and receiving information about policies and governance in Lagos, which constitutes a violation of my right to receive information without interference,” he said.

In his originating summons cited by The PUNCH, the lawyer asked the court to declare the action unconstitutional, arbitrary, and discriminatory.

According to the lawsuit, Ogun said he sought “a declaration that, as a democratically-elected public office holder in Nigeria, the Respondent (@jidesanwoolu)’s blocking of the Applicant (@mrfestusogun), a citizen of Nigeria and resident of Lagos State, on X (formerly ‘Twitter’) is wrongful, unconstitutional, arbitrary and constitutes a gross.”

He further prayed the court to compel Sanwo-Olu to unblock him, issue a public apology, and stop targeting critics online.

“An order of perpetual injunction restraining the Respondent, his agents, privies or any other person or entity acting through or on his behalf, from further blocking the Applicant on X or any other social media platform,” the suit read.

Ogun, who described himself as “haunted, traumatised and emotionally disturbed,” stressed that the matter went beyond his personal grievance. “This suit is not just about me. I have filed this lawsuit in furtherance of public interest and with the hope that it sets a precedent in our digital rights jurisprudence,” he said.

The lawyer also invited the court to take guidance from a 2019 ruling in the United States.

“I invited the Nigerian court to be persuaded by the decision of the US District Court in Knight First Amendment Institute v Trump where President Trump was found to be in violation of the 1st Amendment when he blocked US citizens for criticising him on Twitter,” he stated.

Ogun argued that intolerance to opposing views undermines democracy. “Intolerance to criticism and accountability is unconstitutional and undemocratic. Nigerian authorities continue to crack down on dissents, critics, journalists, bloggers and vocal citizens on social media using arrests, detention, surveillance, collusion with big techs and outright blocking, as weapons. That narrative must stop,” he warned.