The reported harassment of journalists by Lagos State Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu’s Chief Security Officer, Kunle Fagbemi, is being addressed and will be resolved amicably, the governor’s media aide has said.
The Special Adviser to the Governor on Media and Publicity, Gboyega Akosile, said on Saturday that the governor’s administration does not condone any form of harassment.
Tensions flared on Saturday at the Lagos House, Ikeja, during an official event, as the CSO allegedly harassed members of the governor’s press crew.
The incident occurred during an empowerment programme organised by the Office of the Senior Special Assistant to the President on Sustainable Development Goals, in collaboration with the Renewed Hope Initiative, a project of the wife of the President, Senator Oluremi Tinubu. The event aimed to empower 1,000 women across Lagos State.
Eyewitnesses said the CSO aggressively confronted the governor’s official press crew as they arrived at the venue in their designated bus.
Fagbemi allegedly stopped the vehicle and accused the journalists of being “disruptive” and “unprofessional.”
Journalists at the scene recounted how the CSO hurled abusive language at them, creating an embarrassing scene.
It was gathered that efforts by some media personnel to calm the situation were unsuccessful.
Though no physical altercation was recorded, members of the press expressed concern over their safety and what they described as a troubling pattern of intimidation faced while covering government events.
“The guy has been doing that for many years, but we just always leave him. Over small issues, they will just display for us. What did we do for you? As he keeps harassing journalists, we feel like it is the height of it today,” a journalist told PUNCH Online on condition of anonymity.
The incident sparked concerns within the media circle, prompting calls for Governor Sanwo-Olu to launch a formal investigation into the incident.
When a phone number believed to belong to Fagbemi was called on Saturday, the recipient denied being him.
“Actually, you’re calling the wrong person,” he told our correspondent.
But when told that True Caller displayed the name Kunle Fagbemi, the voice replied, “Sometimes if I do the same work you do, we try to save people’s names as our own names.” The response suggests a security tactic that might be employed by a security expert.
Pressed on the allegation of harassment, he responded, “Where is that? I harassed a journalist?” before the call abruptly ended.
Speaking on the matter, the Special Adviser to the Governor on Media and Publicity, Gboyega Akosile, confirmed that he had been briefed and assured that the situation was being addressed amicably.
Akosile said, “I wasn’t there when it happened, but I have just been briefed about the development, and we are looking at it. One thing I can assure you is that it’s going to be a friendly affair at the end of the day. The security operatives have their jobs. They are protecting Mr Governor and the first family. The journalists are there to do their job. So no one should hinder the other from doing their job. There should be no place for harassment.
“It’s over six years that we have been in government, and we’ve never heard that anybody has harassed anybody before in this administration. We don’t do it, it’s not in our DNA. And this is a one-off, and we will definitely look into it.”
“As I speak with you, as soon as I heard about it, we’ve had a meeting with the press corps and we’ve apologised to them for what happened, and I’ve also spoken with the affected Chief Security Officer to the governor. He also told me his own side that he was trying to tell them not to go beyond a certain place, but I believe it was a misunderstanding. It’s something that will be resolved amicably.”
