2020 Lekki Shooting: I Was In The Room – Hamzat Makes Fresh Revelation

The All Progressives Congress (APC) governorship candidate for the 2027 Lagos State election, Obafemi Hamzat, has acknowledged that public trust in the government was severely damaged following the October 20, 2020 incident at the Lekki Toll Gate during the #EndSARS protests.

According to Bush Radio Academy, Hamzat made the remarks during a Lagos governorship debate organised by TVC News in partnership with Channels Television, Punch, Vanguard and TheCable.

Hamzat, who served as deputy governor of Lagos State at the time of the incident, described the events of October 20, 2020, as a deeply painful moment for the state.

Responding to questions about his personal knowledge of the security decisions that led to the deployment of soldiers to the Lekki Toll Gate, the APC candidate acknowledged his presence within the administration at the time, stating that he would not deny being part of the government.

However, he argued that the military was under the authority of the Federal Government and that the Lagos State Government did not exercise direct control over its operations.

Hamzat also defended the state government’s response after the incident, pointing to the establishment of a judicial commission of inquiry to investigate what happened. He described the panel as independent and noted that it included individuals who were critical of the government.

According to him, the commission completed its investigation and made its findings public. He added that the Lagos State Government subsequently issued a white paper outlining its response to the panel’s recommendations, with many of them reportedly implemented.

The APC candidate maintained that residents had the constitutional right to protest and insisted that the decision to establish the judicial panel was part of the government’s effort to investigate the incident and address public concerns.

Nevertheless, Hamzat acknowledged the suffering experienced by residents and admitted that the incident damaged the relationship of trust between the government and the people.

He stressed that the pain of affected citizens should not be dismissed, while maintaining that the state government took steps to investigate the events through the judicial commission.