Lagos State Governor, Babajide Sanwo-Olu, has said the 24-hour curfew imposed on the state to curb arson and widespread violence in the state may be relaxed on Friday.
“Once we see the streets are cleared up and all the agitation and high nerves have gone down, we might slow down the curfew by tomorrow (Friday) or next tomorrow (Saturday) at the latest,” Sanwo-Olu said in an interview with Arise TV.
The governor said the easing of the curfew as soon as possible would be necessary for Lagos residents to restock food supplies and other essential commodities.
He said the curfew was necessary because the “peaceful #EndSARS protest has degenerated into a monster that is threatening the well-being of our society.
“Lives and limbs have been lost as criminals and miscreants are now hiding under the umbrella of these protests to unleash mayhem on our state. As a government that is alive to its responsibility and has shown a commitment to the movement #ENDSARS, we will not watch and allow anarchy in our dear state.”
Despite the curfew, violence, arson and attacks have been on the rise since Tuesday.
State security forces on Tuesday evening stormed the Lekki Toll Plaza, shooting sporadically at protesters seeking an end to extortion, harassment and extrajudicial killing by police personnel.
About 10 persons have been reported dead in the shoot-out by military personnel, according to Amnesty International.
Sanwo-Olu blamed “forces beyond our direct control” for the death of the peaceful and unarmed protesters.
“I recognize the buck stops at my table and I will work with the FG to get to the root of this unfortunate incident and stabilise all security operations to protect the lives of our residents,” the governor said.
