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Sanwo-Olu appeals against N5m compensation to Uber Driver injured during #EndSARS memorial
Sanwo-Olu has rejected demands to compensate the Uber driver who was tortured during the EndSARS memorial.
Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu of Lagos state has rejected demands to pay the sum of N5million as compensation to a 35-year-old Uber driver who was assaulted during the EndSARS memorial.
The Lagos State Ministry of Justice’s Director of Public Prosecutions, Dr. Babajide Martins, issued a Notice of Appeal in which the government claimed there was no proof the Uber driver had been tortured.
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Adedotun Clement, who was severely tortured on October 20, 2021 at the Lekki Toll-Gate during the first EndSARS anniversary, was awarded the aforementioned sum by a Federal High Court in Lagos on March 14, 2023.
Clement ran into traffic at the Lekki Toll-Gate while transporting a passenger to the mainland of Lagos during a demonstration to mark the first anniversary of the #EndSARS demonstrations.
Police officers and members of the Lagos State Neighborhood Safety Agency abused and pepper-sprayed him.
The assault on the Uber driver was caught on camera, was covered by television stations and newspapers, and was denounced across the country.
In order to obtain reparation, human rights attorney Inibehe Effiong filed a lawsuit against the Lagos State Government and the Nigeria Police Force.
Following the verdict, Effiong demanded compliance with the ruling in a letter sent to Governor Sanwo-Olu on March 16, 2023.
The governor, however, declined to comply with the request. The Lagos State Government has since appealed the ruling to the Lagos Court of Appeal.
Response
Responding to the appeal, Effiong said his client was disappointed by the action of the Lagos State Government but that he was ready to face the government at the Court of Appeal.
“I’m not surprised by their decision not to obey a judgment that the everyone knows is justifiable. Since they’ve chosen this infamous path, I will equally file a cross-appeal against the N5 Million damages and ask the Court of Appeal to increase it significantly,” Effiong said.
The Lagos lawyer added that “the message derivable from this action is that Lagosians are back to the regime of real Governor Sanwo-Olu that they know, and not the pretentious one who tried to project himself as a populist or respecter of human rights during the campaigns.”
