#EndSARS: Lagos has recovered psychologically, says Sanwo-Olu

Babajide Sanwo-Olu, governor of Lagos, says the state has “recovered psychologically” from the destruction that trailed the #EndSARS protests. 

The October 2020 protest, based on a youth-led movement against police brutality, was hijacked by hoodlums and resulted in killings and destruction of property.

Speaking on Sunday in an interview on Channels Television, Sanwo-Olu said though citizens have experienced psychological healing, the state is yet recover in terms of infrastructure.

“There are two sides to it. I would say that we have recovered psychologically from it. But we’re still, you know, working out the infrastructural recovery, because I mean, infrastructure is not something that you will fix in one day,” he said.

“So, with the infrastructural renewal, it’s still an ongoing, budgetary allocation. For example, the major courts in Lagos, we’re developing a 15-storey edifice that will take about 60 courts at once.

“That is the kind of imposing structure that we’re bringing back to Igbosere high court. And this will take time.

“But in terms of the psychology of it, I believe that my citizens and myself,  we’re out of it. We’ve learned our lessons; we understand the meaning and the lessons of it. It was a collateral damage that we do know that we had nothing to do with, but that’s what it is. Time heals.”

In October 2020, Nigerians started a major campaign against police brutality in the country.

Although the campaign started on social media, Nigerians took to the streets in parts of the country to protest against the now-disbanded special anti-robbery squad (SARS), a unit of the Nigeria Police Force.