The company that manages the outdoor advertising billboard at the Lekki Tollgate, Loatsad Promomedia Ltd, has explained why the billboard was turned off on the night of the shooting.
The Company Secretary of the advertising firm, Abimbola Eniola, in the concluding testimony before the Lagos State Judicial Panel on restitution for victims of SARS-related abuses and others, said that the billboard was turned off following the imposition of the statewide curfew by the Lagos State Governor, Babajde Sanwo-Olu.
This was disclosed by Eniola, while under cross-examination by the counsel to some of the #EndSARS protesters, Adesina Ogunlana, on Saturday, August 14, 2021.
Eniola told the panel that the billboard at the Lekki Tollgate does not serve the purpose of illuminating the toll grounds.
On the question of who gave the order for the billboard to be switched off, which was asked by Mr Ogunlana, Mr Eniola said that it was the Head of Human Resources, Loatsad Promomedia, Chisa Olabode, via the workers’ Whatsapp group chat who gave the directive to turn off the billboard due to the statewide curfew announced by Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu.
He said that after the memo on the WhatsApp group, the billboards were shut off as members of staff vacated the office by 3pm in order to get home before the initial 4 pm announced for the curfew.
A witness, Dr Ayobami Aranmolate of Grandville Medical Centre, told the panel that the Medical and Dental Council of Nigeria was not happy that he had divulged certain confidential records of patients at his last testimony.
He pleaded with the panel to order the television cameras to be turned off before he could give his testimony. The panel obliged his request and ordered that his testimony not be recorded.
What you should know
It can be recalled that on October 20, 2020, some #EndSARS protesters, who were protesting against police brutality and other human rights abuses, were reportedly shot at by the Nigerian army at the Lekki Tollgate with some alleged fatalities and various forms of injury.
The advert company had come under criticism on social media for turning off the billboard and throwing the Lekki toll gate into darkness which allegedly provided cover for soldiers to open fire on the #EndSars protesters on that night.
The Company Secretary, Abimbola Eniola, had last week appeared before the panel in response to summons issued on it to come and assist with the investigations into the incident of October 20, 2020.
