Sanwo-Olu relaxes curfew, says destruction of assets worst in Lagos’ history

Babajide Sanwo-Olu, governor of Lagos state, has relaxed the 24-hour curfew imposed at the height of violence which trailed the #EndSARS protests.

Speaking after a tour of the troubled spots across the state, the governor said from Saturday, people will be allowed to go out from 8am till 6pm.

He said the situation will be reviewed on Monday.

The governor said the level of destruction recorded in the last few days is unprecedented in the history of the state.

However, he laid emphasis on the importance of recovery, saying the society needs to heal.

“The level of destruction, the level of pain that we have is a lot. I want to use this opportunity again to appeal, appease and this is not a Lagos that was handed over to me May 29, 2020,” he said.

“I am the 15th governor of Lagos, since 1967, I am not sure we have witnessed anything close to this before with the level of destruction and the places we have been to today.

“Moving forward, is to say that we need to continue to heal ourselves, talk to ourselves and advice and implore some of our citizens that are still using social media to instigate, or to ask people to stand up again or to incite citizens, young men at the level of what we have seen.

“Regarding the curfew, we still have pockets of insecurity that we need to deal with. We have decided that we going to be easing the curfew tomorrow morning, so people can be allowed to go out between 8am and 6pm.

“We have also commenced the cleanup of the city because there is a whole lot of road blocks, tires burnt on the road.

“The Lagos State Waste Management Authority (LAWMA) officials will commence tonight but if they are unable to finish by tomorrow morning, I want to appeal and admonish motorists and citizen to be careful on the road and please do not go out if you do not need to. But if you must go out, please drive with a lot of caution.

“We will look at the curfew on Saturday and Sunday and then get back to you on Monday and into the week.”

The Lagos government had imposed a 24-hour curfew in the state on Tuesday as part of efforts to curb rising tensions from the #EndSARS protests.

However, the situation worsened when unarmed protesters who were gathered at the Lekki tollgate were shot by men who wore military uniforms.

Consequently, Sanwo-Olu ordered a three-day suspension of all state activities.

Suspected hoodlums went on a rampage, destroying state assets and burning police stations.

The governor, on Friday, visited hotspots for an on-site assessment of the damage caused by the attacks.