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The mysterious discovery of a camera at the Lekki toll gate by the Minister of Works and Housing, Babatunde Fashola is generating reactions on social media.
Fashola is currently the third most trending topic on Twitter, as Nigerians mocked what many described as “forensic Fashola.”
On Sunday, the former Governor of Lagos state led the federal government delegation to sympathize with the government of Lagos. Following a visit to the Lekki toll gate, a hidden camera was found the Minister who picked it up, apparently for further investigation.
But reacting to the news, a handle, @elcroxificio tweeted:
“I had second hand embarrassment for Babatunde Raji Fashola last night. APC turned my favorite person in the entire party to a moron in the name of pulling Sherlock Holmes.
I mean, that toll gate was cleaned by Lawma, and even Arise TV has a clip where ‘iron condemn’ cleared up.
“How in God’s thunderous name did you all find a camera that expensive lying around???
Christ! I honestly type in shame! And look forward to the laughable clip the party is going to release in the coming days.”
Also tweeting with @nedunaija, a tweet reads, “The Nigerian state is totally ridiculous in its modus operandi.
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”Fashola finished making a comment that resonated with me, and then stepped out to go discover hidden camera at the scene of major crime.
”The confidence these people have in our presumed stupidity baffles me.”
Hip Hop artist, Iceprince Zamani also expressed disappointment in what many have described as a stunt by the Minister.
“Somebody pls tell me the Minister, Fashola and his guys running into a random camcorder at Lekki toll gate yesterday was a joke !!! Pls I’m begging anyone… Just say it’s a joke, That lawma just cleaned the whole place up and Jide already did a tour!?”
Babatunde Fashola, minister of works and housing, on Sunday, found a camera at the scene of the shooting in the Lekki area of Lagos state.
Fashola found the device while on tour of the place where #EndSARS protesters demonstrated for 13 days before they were forcefully dispersed.
On Tuesday, men in army uniform invaded the Lekki toll gate where the unarmed protesters were and opened fire on them.
There has been a controversy over the number of those killed and the persons who sustained injuries.
On Sunday, ministers and governors from the south-west, made an on-the-spot assessment of some of the places vandalised during the violence that trailed the #EndSARS protest.
It was during the visit that Fashola found the camera which he said must have been planted by “some subversive elements”.
The minister reportedly picked up the device with a handkerchief and handed it over to Babajide Sanwo-Olu, governor of Lagos.
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“I think this will help with the ongoing investigations into the shootings at the Lekki Toll Gate. It requires forensic analysis and could be used in the investigations to unravel the mystery surrounding the shootings at the Toll Gate, I believe,” he was quoted to have said.
Fashola governed Lagos between 2007 and 2015. President Muhammadu Buhari appointed him a minister when he finished his two terms as governor and he was reappointed in 2019.
Adegboruwa faults Fashola’s ‘discovery’ of camera at Lekki tollgate
Human rights lawyer, Ebun-Olu Adegboruwa (SAN), has faulted the supposed discovery of a video camera recorder by the Minister of Works and Housing, Babatunde Fashola (SAN), at the Lekki toll plaza on Sunday.
Adegboruwa said this in a statement on Monday titled, ‘Usurpation of powers of the panel of inquiry on SARS abuses’.
Fashola, had while conducting a tour of the toll plaza alongside governors and ministers from the South-West, supposedly discovered a camera at the toll plaza five days after the shooting of unarmed #EndSARS protesters by soldiers.
However, Adegboruwa said since the state government had established an independent panel of inquiry to investigate what transpired at the tollgate, the panel should be allowed to do its work.
The statement read in part, “Since the panel has been vested with jurisdiction over the Lekki toll plaza, I verily believe that it is illegal for anyone else to conduct any visit to the said Lekki toll plaza in the absence of and without the authority and consent of the panel.
“It was reported that in the course of the visit, the former governor of Lagos State and the Minister of Works and Housing, Mr. Babatunde Fashola (SAN), discovered a hidden camera, which he took. This is a clear case of illegally tampering with exhibits that may become useful to the panel in the course of its assignment.
I appeal to the Governor of Lagos State to allow the panel the full autonomy and independence that was promised at the time of inauguration. It is contempt of the panel for anyone to usurp the powers of the panel in the way that has been reported.”
Many Nigerians had taken to social media to express disbelief over Fashola’s discovery of the camera.
As of Monday morning, ‘Fashola’ and ‘Sherlock Holmes’ were trending on Twitter with many wondering how the minister discovered a camera at the toll plaza despite the burning of the tollgate and the cleaning of the area by officials of the Lagos Waste Management Authority.
