Lagos State Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu has suspended his Senior Special Assistant on Print Media, Mr. Wale Ajetunmobi, following the misrepresentation of facts on his personal X account regarding a past incident.
The announcement was made in a statement by the governor’s Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Gboyega Akosile, titled “Governor Sanwo-Olu Suspends Aide.”
Ajetunmobi’s suspension comes after he tweeted that arsonists responsible for burning down the Television Continental station during the 2020 #EndSARS protests had been “hunted down and executed,” a claim that sparked controversy and allegations of extra-judicial killings.
Akosile emphasized that the administration “frowns at any form of extra-judicial punishment and will not be a part of any such action.” He reiterated, “That is not who we are. That is not our way,”
A check by GMARTMEDIA on Wale Ajetunmobi’s X account, under the handle #Riddwane, revealed that his controversial tweet had been deleted.
On November 24, 2024, Premium Times reported that Ajetunmobi claimed in his now-removed post that arsonists responsible for burning down the Television Continental (TVC) station during the 2020 #EndSARS protests had been “hunted down and executed.” He further alleged that one of these individuals was a young boy, whose name he did not disclose, who traded in cooking gas around Ketu and was found with an AK-47 rifle.
In his tweet, Ajetunmobi stated, “The full story of people who burnt down TVC in 2020 will be told one day, with gory clips and images. One thing to note: the majority of them have been hunted down and executed. One of them, a young boy trading in cooking gas around Ketu, was found with an AK-47 at the site. Even his neighbours were shocked. But the full gist is better saved for later.”
When questioned by an X user about whether he was aware of extra-judicial killings, Ajetunmobi responded dismissively, stating;
“Lol… you want to create a narrative in your head. What is extra-judicial killing here? Some of the people were chased by soldiers and an exchange of fire occurred. Then arsonists were overpowered and killed in the process. Others ran away. Is that an extra-judicial killing to you?”
However, early Tuesday morning, Ajetunmobi clarified that he had erroneously used the term “executed” and emphasized that his comments represented his personal opinion and did not reflect the stance of his employer or office. He stated, “This excerpt was quoted out of context… no extra-judicial killing was insinuated.”
