During the attacks, some protesters and journalists filmed some of the tense moments of assaults.
An Uber driver, Adedotun Clement, who was physically assaulted by security agents, who fired tear gas canisters to disperse protesters marking the one-year anniversary of the #EndSARS campaign in the Lekki Tollgate area of Lagos State has demanded N500,000,000 as compensation from the Lagos State Government.
SaharaReporters had on Wednesday reported that some protesters and journalists suffered varied forms of attacks from security agents during a clampdown on residents at the tollgate.
During the attacks, some protesters and journalists filmed some of the tense moments of assaults.
Several video clips showed security agents, including men of the Rapid Response Squad, the Lagos State Environmental and Special Offences Unit (task force), the Nigeria Police Force and the Lagos Neighborhood Safety Corps, among others, brutalising journalists and protesters.
One of the videos, which went viral, showed the security agents, particularly policemen and officers of the LNSC, subjecting Clement to dehumanising torture, as he struggled against being locked up in a Black Maria.
Despite his pleas for mercy to validate his claim of being an Uber driver, one of the cops slapped him, as the LNSC official pepper-sprayed his eyes.
Clement in a letter to the Lagos State Attorney-General and Commissioner for Justice signed by his lawyer, Inibehe Effiong demanded a public apology from the government.
“We have written to the Lagos State Government through the Attorney General of Lagos State to demand payment of the sum of N500,000,000 (Five Hundred Million Naira) as compensation to Mr. Adedotun Clement for the gross violation of his fundamental rights to dignity of the human person, personal liberty and property and for the deprivation of his source of livelihood and the destruction of his vehicle,” a statement by Effiong read.
“Adedotun Clement is the innocent Uber driver that was assaulted by some officers of the Lagos State Neighborhood Safety Corps (LNSC) and Nigeria Police Force during the first anniversary of the #EndSARS protest at Lekki Toll Gate in Lagos.
“In addition to payment of monetary compensation, we also demanded that disciplinary measures be taken against the culprits who assaulted Adedotun, and that they should be prosecuted in court in line with the Anti-Torture Act and the Criminal Law of Lagos State. Also, we are equally demanding a written apology from the state government.
“It should be noted that the vehicle of Mr. Adedotun has been returned but in a bad condition. The agents of the state government broke and damaged the front windscreen of his Toyota Corolla. The vehicle was in good condition before it was towed away on Wednesday, 20th October, 2021. But upon reaching where the vehicle was taken to on Friday, 22nd October, 2021, Adedotun saw the destruction done to his vehicle by agents of the state government.
“The implication is that he cannot use the vehicle to earn a living until it is repaired. My attention has also been drawn to the public statement by the Lagos State Neighborhood Safety Agency (LNSA) wherein it is stated that two officers of the agency were subjected to orderly room trial, found guilty of assault and general unruly behaviour and suspended for two months.
“While we commend the Lagos State Government for admitting that the conduct of its agents was criminal and unprofessional, we find the two months suspension meted on the two officers grossly insufficient and unacceptable. It is not a deterrence. The officers should be dismissed and diligently prosecuted in a court of law to serve as a deterrence to others.
“Finally, we are expecting the Lagos State Government to respond to our modest demands within 48 hours or we will have no other option but to commence legal proceedings to seek redress for Adedotun.”
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