Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu of Lagos State has ordered the payment of N5 million compensation to an Uber driver, Adedotun Clement, who was assaulted on October 20, 2021, during a rally to mark the one-year anniversary of the #EndSARS protest in the state.
Mr Adedotun, a driver for the cab-hailing service, was manhandled by the Lagos State Neighbourhood Safety Agency (LNSA) and police officers.
An on 14 March, a federal high court in Lagos ordered the state government and the police to pay N5 million as compensation to him, a ruling the state disagreed with, and expressed readiness to appeal.
But in an interesting twist, Sanwo-Olu on Saturday in compliance with the judgment, directed those concerned with the issue to make the payment to Adedotun, and forgo the appeal.
The governor made this known via his a statement he released on his verified Twitter handle: “Good evening Lagos, as governor, I’m committed to upholding the rule of law and protecting citizens’ rights with empathy and authority.
“I recently became aware of the case involving Mr. Clement Adedotun and the judgement by the Federal High Court, and I understand the impact this legal battle has had on him.
“After reviewing Mr. Clement’s case, I’ve directed the Honorable Attorney General to set up a meeting and pay him the compensation awarded by the court.
“I ’ve interceded in this instance in the interest of the public good, and requested that the state’s Attorney General comply with the court’s ruling.”
