EndSARS: Lawyer Serves Lagos Gov, Sanwo-Olu Court Ruling, Demands N5m Compensation For Attacked Uber Driver

Inibehe Effiong, a Nigerian Human rights lawyer, on Thursday, revealed that he had served Mr Babajide Sanwo-Olu, the Lagos State Governor, with a certified copy of the judgement order delivered on Tuesday, 14th of March, 2023, by Justice A. Lewis-Allagoa of the Federal High Court in Lagos in favour of an Uber driver.

A Federal High Court sitting in Lagos State on Tuesday, 14th of March, 2023, ordered the Lagos State Government and the Nigeria Police to pay the sum of N5m as compensation to Adedotun Clement, the Uber driver who was publicly attacked, assaulted and humiliated by officials of the Lagos State Neighborhood Safety Agency and the Nigeria Police Force during the first anniversary of #EndSARS protest that came up in 2021.

In the judgement, the federal high court ordered addition to the N5 million in compensation, the court also ordered the Lagos State Government and the Nigeria Police Force to publish a public apology to Mr. Clement in the PUNCH and ThisDay Popular newspapers.

In a letter addressed directly to the state governor, Babajide Sanwo-Olu on Thursday, 16th of March, 2023 and also copied to the Attorney General of Lagos State, the lawyer asked the governor to comply with the judgement of the Federal High Court to demonstrate to Lagosians that he believes in human rights and that of the rule of law.

The lawyer said, “We are aware of your public declarations of your commitment to compensate victims of human rights abuses in Lagos State, including those connected with the EndSARS protest. Our client is an Uber driver and a hardworking Lagosian whose dignity was gruesomely violated and his source of livelihood disrupted by officials of the Lagos State Government.

“Having suffered untold hardship, humiliation, torture, and deprivation, we are minded to request that the judgment delivered in our client’s favour be complied with by the Lagos State Government.

“This case offers an opportunity for the government under your leadership to demonstrate its fidelity to the rule of law and devotion to human rights.”