Wale Ajetunmobi, Lagos State Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu’s Senior Special Assistant on Print Media, who was suspended on November 26, 2024, over controversial comments regarding the 2020 #EndSARS protests, has been discreetly reinstated.
According to a source as stated by SaharaReporters, the reinstatement occurred following lobbying by members of the governor’s inner circle.
The source disclosed on Tuesday, “Ajetunmobi is back in the office. They asked him to lay low and be cautious about what he posts online. Some of the governor’s kitchen cabinet members advocated for his reinstatement because they like him.”
Ajetunmobi was suspended after allegations of misrepresentation of facts surfaced due to remarks he made on his personal X account (formerly Twitter), which contradicted the official stance on the #EndSARS protests.
In his post, Ajetunmobi claimed that the majority of individuals allegedly involved in the arson attack on Television Continental (TVC) during the protests had been “hunted down and executed.”
The suspension, announced by Gboyega Akosile, the governor’s Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, included a statement disassociating the Lagos State Government from Ajetunmobi’s comments.
The statement read, “The Governor wishes to state categorically that his administration frowns at any form of extra-judicial punishment and will not be a part of any such action. That is not who we are. That is not our way.”
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Referring to the incident, the statement added, “Ostensibly, the ‘misrepresentation of facts’ being referred to in the statement was a claim by Ajetunmobi that majority of those involved in the burning of Television Continental, TVC, during the #EndSARS protest in 2020, had been hunted down and executed.”
In his controversial post, Ajetunmobi had written, “The full story of people who burnt down TVC in 2020 will be told one day, with gory clips and images. One thing to note: majority of them have been hunted down and executed.”
When an X user accused him of supporting extrajudicial killings, Ajetunmobi defended his stance, stating, “Lol. You want to create a narrative in your head? Some of the people were chased by soldiers and exchange of fire occurred. Then arsonists were overpowered and killed. Others ran away. Is that extrajudicial killing to you?”
Efforts by SaharaReporters to get a comment from Akosile regarding Ajetunmobi’s reinstatement were unsuccessful, as he did not respond to inquiries.
Human rights lawyer Inibehe Effiong had previously called for Ajetunmobi’s arrest and investigation.
Effiong stated on X, “Dear Governor @jidesanwoolu, Suspending Wale Ajetunmobi as your aide does not address the alarming confession of extrajudicial killings made by him. This matter has to be investigated thoroughly by law enforcement agencies.”
He further added, “He should be taken into custody immediately. Wale confessed in clear terms that those who burnt TVC News station at CMD Road, Ikosi, Lagos were trailed and assassinated. Now that the suspended aide of the Lagos state governor has confessed that the suspects were murdered, the public deserves answers.
“We cannot tolerate a situation where the government or those sympathetic to the government or the political class will act as executioners. The judiciary is the sole constitutional authority empowered to determine the guilt of anyone accused of a crime.”
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