Musiliu Akinsanya aka MC Oluomo has denied sponsoring thugs to attack and disrupt End SARS Protesters on Thursday morning.
Protesters of the End SARS movement were attacked ruthlessly by thugs who came with the official Lagos State transit bus known as the BRT.
The Chairman of the National Union of the Road Transport Workers in Lagos Stat, Mc Oluomo has denied reports.
His spokesman, Jimoh Buhari, said, “We have no hand in the attacks. People should stop accusing us wrongly. Were the thugs wearing NURTW uniforms? Is MC Oluomo holding a political office? He has no hand in the case.”
Buhari told our PUNCH that members of the union were also victims of police extortion and it would therefore be unwise of them to thwart a protest that seeks to bring an end to police brutality.
Supporting this claim, Mc Oluomo made an official video saying why would he ‘a good citizen send thugs to disrupt the End SARS movement’. The vehemently denied the allegation.
Lagos State Speaker, Mudashiru Obasa, Denies Sponsoring Thugs To Attack End SARS Protesters
The Lagos state speaker Mudashiru Obasa has also denied claims that he sponsored thugs to attack EndSARS protesters in Lagos. The speaker denied the claim via his official Twitter handle today.
Obasa was accused of the sponsorship since the thugs came from Oshodi.
Oby Ezekwesili had tweeted earlier on Thursday asking the governor, Jide Sanwoolu who Obasa is as she heard that he is the one sponsoring thugs for the EndSARS Protest.
Mudashiru Obasa immediately shut down the claims identifying himself as the speaker of the Lagos state house of assembly and also shared that he will never disrupt a peaceful protest.
Ezekwesili then appealed to him and the governor to look into the alleged attack and ensure security of protesters so things do not degenerate extremely.
Lagos State denies hiring thugs to attack protesters at Alausa
The Lagos State government has on Thursday denied involvement in the allegations that it hired hoodlums to attack Nigerians protesting against police brutality.
In a statement signed by Gbenga Omotoso, Commissioner, Information and Strategy, the government described the allegations as untrue and wicked.
It blamed the allegations on “enemies of peace and orderliness” who seek to stir up bad sentiments against the government despite its efforts to resolve the crisis by identifying with young people in their efforts towards police reforms.
“Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu has been preaching peace. So has the Deputy Governor, who addressed the protesters last Friday. The Governor has addressed them twice – at the Lekki Toll Gate and at the House of Assembly. He even carried a placard and marched with the youths after assuring them that he felt their pains and that it was legitimate for them to protest,” Omotoso said.
He also recalled that the Governor visited the President to tender a five-point demand from the protesters. Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu also ensured that all the protesters arrested by the police were released unconditionally.
“The enemies of progress, who are not happy that Lagos is not on fire, are the ones fueling the infernal lies that the government was sponsoring thugs to attack our protesting youths. They have been posting on the social media pictures suggesting that a Lagos Bus Service Ltd. (LBSL) vehicle was conveying thugs. The bus in question was on its normal operation when it ran into a group of protesters. The passengers, who felt endangered, rushed out of the bus. They returned to continue their journey after the charging crowd had left,” Omotoso said.
“The government seeks the co-operation of all in ensuring that the crisis is put behind us as soon as possible,” the commissioner added.
Protesters at Alausa had on Thursday taking to social media to post pictures and videos of hundreds of thugs arriving in about 20 buses with the aim to bring an end to the protest by any means necessary.
As soon as the alighted from the buses, the thugs who were wielding big sticks, cutlasses, and guns, according to eyewitnesses and video circulated, began to chase and beat up protesters.
“The thugs came with cutlasses and other dangerous weapons,” an eyewitness explained.
The protesters had earlier blocked a section of the Alausa road and were singing solidarity songs when their attackers suddenly appeared and disrupted their demonstrations.
The scene of the attack was close to Lagos Government secretariat, Lagos State House of Assembly, governor’s office and a police station and these places have the best securities in the state.
“Alausa is where the government house is. Supposedly one of the safest places in Lagos State. If this is allowed to happen, someone should have lost their job by now. This is happening in VERY CLOSE PROXIMITY TO THE GOVERNOR’S OFFICE! ARE YOU TELLING ME THE GOVERNOR ISN’T SAFE? Kiki Mordi, a journalist tweeted.
