The advertising firm responsible for the giant electronic billboard that illuminates the Lekki Toll Plaza on Saturday said the ad board was switched off on October 20 last year because its primary aim was for advertisement and not illumination.
Loadtsad Promomedia Limited, owned by Seyi Tinubu, said this while testifying before the Lagos Judicial Panel of Inquiry
“The billboard does not serve the purpose of providing illumination for that place. It does not provide light for that place, it is purely for advert purpose,” Abimbola Eniola, the company’s secretary, told the panel.
Mr Eniola, who represented the company, was responding to a question by Adeshina Ogunlana, lawyer to the #EndSARS protesters.
Shortly after the ad board, which provided illumination for the protesters at night, was switched off, armed soldiers arrived at the scene and opened fire on the crowd.
“Who gave the order to switch off the billboard?” Mr Ogunlana asked the company official.
Mr Eniola responded that their Human Resources head, Chisa Olabode, via their online group chat, gave the directive to turn off the billboard.
The company had earlier explained, in an Instagram post, that the billboard was switched off after Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu announced a curfew would begin in the evening of October 20.
It later deleted the post and reposted another explanation that its officials had cooperated with the protesters before the governor’s announcement.
The second witness for the day, Sarah Ibrahim, did not appear before the panel due to “ill-health.” Last week, Ms Ibrahim, who was one of the protesters last year, testified that there were holes in the autopsy reports of those killed during the protests.
