Lagos State Governor, Babajide Sanwo-Olu, has suspended his Senior Special Assistant on Print Media, Mr. Wale Ajetunmobi, following a controversial social media post. The announcement was made through a statement issued on Tuesday by Gboyega Akosile, the governor’s Special Adviser on Media and Publicity.
According to the statement, Ajetunmobi was suspended due to “misrepresentation of facts” in a post made on his personal X (formerly Twitter) account about a past incident. The statement emphasized that the Sanwo-Olu administration does not condone extra-judicial actions, stating, “That is not who we are. That is not our way.”
The controversy began after Premium Times reported that Ajetunmobi, under his X handle #Riddwane, had posted about events surrounding the 2020 #EndSARS protests.
In the post, he claimed that individuals responsible for burning down the Television Continental (TVC) station in Lagos were “hunted down and executed.” He further alleged that one of the individuals, a young boy selling cooking gas in the Ketu area, was found with an AK-47 rifle.
The post sparked widespread criticism. An X user, identified as Hamlad (#hamoye4real), questioned Ajetunmobi, asking, “Are you in the know of extra-judicial killings?” In response, Ajetunmobi defended his statements, explaining that soldiers had confronted the arsonists, resulting in an exchange of gunfire where some were killed.
On Tuesday morning, Ajetunmobi issued a clarification on his X account, noting that his use of the word “executed” was an error and not intended to suggest extra-judicial killings.
The tweet read, “This excerpt was quoted out of context and there were series of comments made under the same post, which better explained what was intended. Like I did further explained in the said tweet, no extra-judicial killing was insinuated. The word ‘executed’ was erroneously used and not intended in the context of that casual conversation.
“What was written in the entire conversation reflected personal opinion and not the position of any authority or the entity in which I work. The post and other comments had been taken down, even before this publication.”
The TVC station, which was severely damaged during the #EndSARS protests, had its equipment, studios, and vehicles destroyed. Reports at the time indicated that over 250 staff members were displaced, and the station’s operations were temporarily relocated. Governor Sanwo-Olu visited the station’s management in 2020 to show support.
