SANWO-OLU SUSPENDS MEDIA AIDE OVER MISREPRESENTATION OF FACTS

The suspended aide also stated that one of the “executed” arsonists was a young boy (name undisclosed) who traded in cooking gas around the Ketu area of the state.

Ajetunmobi alleged that the boy was found with an AK-47 rifle.

The tweet 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 neighbours were shocked. But the full gist is better saved for later.”

Reacting to the tweet, an X user identified as Hamlad, tweeting as #hamoye4real, asked, “Are you in the know of extra-judicial killings?”

In his response, the suspended aide wrote, “Lol… you want to create a narrative in your head. What is extra-judicial killing here? 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, in a tweet by Ajetunmobi early Tuesday at 2:34 am—two days after the report—and quoting the Premium Times report on his X handle, he clarified that while the word “executed” was “erroneously used,” his tweet was his “personal opinion” and didn’t reflect the stance of his employer or his office.

He also stated that “no extra-judicial killing was insinuated.”

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.”

Recall that on October 21, 2020, it was gathered that no fewer than 250 staff of TVC at Ikosi, Ketu, Lagos, were unable to work after arsonists burnt the station.

Transmission gadgets, state-of-the-art studios, production rooms and operational vehicles of TVC, including cars of staff, were set ablaze.

The station’s Chief Executive Officer, Mr. Andrew Hanlon, added that over 500 direct employees of the station had been struggling to work in temporary accommodation put up by the company.

Halon stated these when Governor Sanwo-Olu visited the management and staff of the station.