The Senate has called on the Federal Government to as a matter of urgency reconstruct and rebuild infrastructure destroyed by hoodlums during the #EndSARS protests in Lagos and Calabar.
The upper chamber gave the charge during plenary on Tuesday, following consideration of two separate motions brought to the floor by Senators Biodun Olujimi (PDP-Ekiti ) and Gershom Bassey (PDP-Cross River South).
Citing order 42 and order 52 of the Senate Rules, Olujimi noted that the #EndSARS protests, began on Oct. 3, and assumed a global dimension following the alleged shooting of a young Nigerian in Ughelli, Delta.
According to the lawmaker, the peaceful protests turned violent as a result of their hijack by hoodlums and the intervention of the military which allegedly led to the death of protesters at the Lekki toll gate, Lagos state.
“October 7, was the start of a 14-day protest in Lagos that eventually turned violent and hijacked by hoodlums.
“The alleged shooting of protesters further infuriated protesters and tension flared with consequent violent protests and the beginning of wanton looting and destroying of public and private assets across the country and particularly Lagos, the epicentre of the protests.
“ It is worrisome that private and public assets destroyed by hideouts in Lagos was estimated by the Governor of Lagos State Mr Babajide Sanwo-Olu, to be in the region of over N1 trillion,” she said.
Consequently, the Senate called on the Federal Government to setup a visitation panel to assess the level of destruction of public and private assets in Lagos state.
It also mandated the Senate Committee on State and Local Government Affairs to monitor compliance.
In a related development Sen. Bassey lamented that “in spite of the 24-hour curfew, a group of vandals on Oct. 24, invaded over 120 property in Calabar and vandalised, looted and burnt down some high value property belonging to individuals, the state government and federal government.”
According to him, offices belonging to the Department of Petroleum Resources (DPR), West African Examination Council (WAEC), Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS), the brand new state of the art Calabar International Convention Centre (ICC), amongst many others were destroyed.
He also said that private residences mostly of past and present federal lawmakers were vandalised, looted or burnt.
The Senate, while condemning the attacks on private and public property in Calabar, mandated the Committee on National Security and Intelligence, Defence, Police Affairs, Judiciary, Human Rights and Legal Matters to investigate the matter.
