Lagos Govt Paid N100m to Lekki Tollgate Survivors, Lai Mohammed Misled Public – Dele Farotimi

Activist and lawyer, Dele Farotimi, has accused former Minister of Information, Lai Mohammed, of misrepresenting the events that occurred at the Lekki tollgate in 2020.

Speaking on the State Affairs podcast hosted by Edmund Obilo, Farotimi dismissed Mohammed’s claim that no one was killed during the incident, describing it as “a blatant lie.”

Mohammed had reportedly said: “Yes, there was a massacre at Lekki tollgate, but I was not part of the organization of EndSARS. I became involved only after the massacre. I belong to a political collective in the NBA known as the Radical Agenda Movement.”

Responding, Farotimi alleged that the Lagos State Government had paid a total of N100 million in cash to survivors and relatives of the deceased. “The payment was made in two installments of N50 million each, deliberately in cash to avoid leaving a paper trail,” he said.

Farotimi, who was personally involved in assisting victims, revealed: “I provided safe houses, settled medical bills, and, in some cases, covered funeral expenses. The fact remains that the government paid for the burial of over 100 individuals whose deaths they claimed were unidentified. If nobody died, why would they pay?”

He described Mohammed as “a shameless liar” and insisted that a panel of inquiry, which included a retired Assistant Inspector-General of Police, unanimously confirmed the occurrence of the massacre.

Farotimi added: “The survivors and families who received compensation are alive today. This truth contradicts Lai Mohammed’s statements. The government profited off the tragedy while denying it publicly, but the evidence speaks for itself.”