The Vice President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, Prof. Yemi Osinbajo, has commiserated with the victims of the Lekki Toll Plaza shootings, which led to many being hospitalized for different degrees of injuries. The VP Prayed against a repeat of such an unfortunate incident.
He sent in his condolence via his official Twitter handle at past 11pm on Wednesday, October 21, 2020.
Backstory: Nairametrics had earlier reported that soldiers allegedly fired gunshots at #EndSARS protesters who defied the Lagos state-imposed curfew to peaceful assemble at the Lekki Toll Plaza on Tuesday evening. The Nigeria Military, however, has denied reports of such shooting, calling it Fake News.
Reacting to the tragic news and the ensuing violence that erupted after the incident, the VP tweeted, “My heart goes out to all victims of the Lekki shootings, and also the policemen and all other men and women who lost their lives in the past few days in different parts of Lagos and other states.
My heart goes out to all the victims of the Lekki shootings, and also the policemen and all other men and women who lost their lives in the past few days in different parts of Lagos & other states.
— Prof. Yemi Osinbajo (@ProfOsinbajo) October 21, 2020
He continued, “I spoke to some of those in hospital. The pain of these terrible events is palpable in our towns and cities, and some losses are irreplaceable, but we can and will get justice for all of them. I stand with Lagos and all other affected states in these trying times.
“We pray never to see a repeat of these tragedies in Jesus name. God bless you all.’’
Why it matters: There has been a deafening silence from the Presidency since the outbreak of violence at the Lekki Toll Plaza. Well-meaning Nigerians expected a statement from the President to calm the heightened tension, and though critics believe the condolence from the VP came in late, it is better late than never. It will go a long way to douse the tension and possibly bring justice for the victims of the incident.