Lagos State Governor, Babajide Sanwo-Olu, has suspended his Senior Special Assistant on Print Media, Mr. Wale Ajetunmobi, over a controversial post on his personal X account.
This was announced on Tuesday in a statement issued by the governor’s Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Gboyega Akosile, titled “Governor Sanwo-Olu Suspends Aide.”
According to the statement, Ajetunmobi’s suspension followed his “misrepresentation of facts on his personal X account regarding a past incident.” Akosile emphasized that the administration “frowns at any form of extra-judicial punishment and will not condone any actions or statements that suggest otherwise. That is not who we are.”
A controversial post attributed to Ajetunmobi, tweeting as #Riddwane, had claimed that arsonists who burned down Television Continental (TVC) during the 2020 #EndSARS protests had been “hunted down and executed.” Premium Times highlighted the post on November 24, 2024, sparking public outcry.
The tweet alleged that one of the “executed” individuals was a young boy trading cooking gas in Lagos’ Ketu area, who was reportedly found with an AK-47 rifle. Ajetunmobi’s now-deleted post read:
“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: 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 neighbors were shocked.”
Reacting to criticism, including from an X user asking if he was “in the know of extra-judicial killings,” Ajetunmobi defended his post, stating, “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, Ajetunmobi clarified his stance in a follow-up tweet, acknowledging that the word “executed” was “erroneously used.” He maintained that his original post reflected his personal opinion and not the position of the Lagos State Government.
“This excerpt was quoted out of context. Like I explained further in the comments, no extra-judicial killing was insinuated. The word ‘executed’ was not intended in the context it was interpreted. My posts and the conversation were my personal opinions and did not represent the views of my employer,” he wrote.
The suspension has drawn renewed attention to the arson attack on TVC in October 2020, during which the station’s facilities were destroyed, leaving over 250 staff displaced and operationally crippled. Governor Sanwo-Olu had visited the station shortly after the incident to offer support, describing it as a significant loss to Lagos’ media landscape.
