- Says ‘I refused to beef up security at TVC, The Nation because I didn’t want blood shed.’
By Gbenga Abulude (Politics and General Desk)
All Progressives Congress (APC) Chieftain, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu said he was not responsible for the shooting of #EndSARS protesters at the Lekki Tollgate, Tuesday, as he was only a civillian and could not have had such powers to do that.
The former governor of Lagos State pointed out that having participated in protests during the June 12 struggle, it was erroneous for people to believe he could trample on the rights of young Nigerians who demanded for a better society and a stop to police brutality.
Recall that as a result of the alleged shooting and killings of #EndSARS protesters at Lekki Tollgate by men in Army uniform last Tuesday, Tinubu was accused by some Nigerians as one of the masterminders of the shooting and this led to hoodlums venting their anger by attacking some business interests — TVC and The Nation newspaper believed to be owned by him.
In a statement by Tinubu, he said the allegation had complicated matters for him as people believed his interests in the revenues being generated at Lekki Toll Gate must have made him to issue directives to soldiers to shoot #EndSARS protesters.
The APC chieftain said that notion was false as the Tollgate is a public property whose revenue does not affect his income in any way.
He urged the youths to listen to the federal government and negotiate with them in their demands, having expressed their grievances by the series of protests
Tinubu appealed to them to give President Muhammadu Buhari the time needed to fulfill his pledge on the police reforms.
“The slander aimed at me is based on the untruth that I own the toll gate concession. The hate mongers prevaricate that I ordered the Lekki assault because the protests had caused me to lose money due to the interruption of toll gate activity.
“Minus this alleged ownership, the slander employed against me falls to the ground as a heavy untruth. I ask people to thoroughly investigate the matter of my alleged ownership of the toll gate.
“By seeking facts, instead of being swayed by gossip, you will find I have no ownership interest or involvement in the toll gate.
“Having no business interests in the operation, my income remains unchanged whether one or 100,000 vehicles pass through that gate.
“The present situation clearly does nothing to profit me politically or otherwise.
“It has complicated matters for me because many people now wrongfully blame me for a violent incident in which I played no part. Still, I stand strongly behind the people of Nigeria and affirm their right to protest peacefully.
“The right to protest should be pacifically exercised and never abused; neither should it be feared nor unduly curtailed.
“It is essential because it lends greater depth to the relationship between government and the governed.
“If we are to attain parity with older, more established democracies, we must accept protests as part of our national development. It is important that Nigeria gets this situation right.
“The direction and pace of our democratic progress weighs in the balance as the entire world watches to see how we manage ourselves at this delicate moment”, he said.
Tinubu also said his political opponents were behind the attacks on the buildings and facilities of the two media organisation owned by him.
He however said he had an inkling that the media organisations would be attacked through the discussions on the social media the day before, but he refused to beef up security at their premises because he wanted to avoid blood shed.
The APC Chieftain said, “On the other hand, I am, indeed, a promoter and financial investor in the Nation newspaper and TVC. It was widely known and circulated through social media that certain malevolent elements were going to take advantage of the situation to attack the Nation newspaper facilities and TVC in Lagos.
“The attackers came. Both facilities were significantly damaged. Although equipped with prior notice of the imminent trespass, I did not call any one to seek or request for the army or police to deploy let alone attack, kill, or injure those who razed and vandalized these properties. I did not want any bloodshed.
“These elements, mostly hirelings of my political opponents, wreaked their havoc and destroyed those buildings and facilities and I thank God that the employees of these two media institutions managed to escape largely unharmed.
“There is a deeper truth involved here. Burned buildings and damaged equipment can be rebuilt or replaced. There is no adequate substitute for the loss of even a single human life. I am not one to encourage violence. I abhor it. Thus I did nothing that might endanger lives, even the lives of those who destroyed my properties.”
