In fulfillment of his promise to thousands of protesters championing the #SARSMUSTEND protests in Lagos, Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu on Tuesday met with President Muhammadu Buhari and the Inspector General of Police, Mohammed Adamu, respectively in Abuja for executive briefing.
It would be recalled that Governor Sanwo-Olu on Monday and Tuesday addressed protesters in Lekki and Alausa areas of Lagos State, where he promised to meet with President Buhari and the IGP to present their case to them on the urgent need for Police reforms.
Sanwo-Olu, who travelled to Abuja shortly after addressing protesters at Alausa in Lagos, met with the number one citizen at the Presidential Villa, Abuja to update him on the development in the State, while the meeting with IGP Adamu took place at the Police Headquarters in Abuja.
Governor Sanwo-Olu during the meeting with President Buhari and the IGP presented the demands of Lagos youths on the need for the Federal Government to initiate reforms that will bring about positive change and a new orientation among officers of the Nigeria Police.
The reforms are part of the five-point demands of the #SARSMUSTEND protesters, who are currently campaigning to end all forms of brutality and extra judicial killings being committed by some operatives of the Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS) – the dissolved tactical unit of the Nigeria Police Force in Lagos.
While officially presenting the demands of the protesters to the President, Governor Sanwo-Olu said: “They (protesters) said we should release all the protesters and we have released them.
“They said we should set up a Trust Fund to pay compensation to the families of those who have died. I have set up my own Trust Fund today and I have announced it.
“The third one, they said we should set up like a small enquiry for people that are bitter. So, tomorrow the IGP is coming to the Governors’ Forum and he is going to ask each one of us to set up a five-man team.
“The final one is that we should increase the salary of the Police. The IGP said he is working on that. The IGP said he is going to be working to take some of them through psycho-social treatment.
“They would go to Force Hospital where they will go through a thorough medical evaluation. The ones that can still be absorbed; they will. Everything is working well.”
In response to Governor Sanwo-Olu’s speech, President Buhari commended the Lagos State Governor for working hard. “Thank you so much for working so hard,” the President said.
Governor Sanwo-Olu, who had identified with protesters from the beginning, said their agitations are very legitimate. The Governor noted that the primary responsibility of the police or any law enforcement agency is to protect the citizens and not be their tormentors.