Chief Security Officer (CSO) to Lagos State Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu, Kunle Fagbemi, is once again at the centre of controversy after verbally harassing members of the governor’s press crew during an official function at the Lagos House, Ikeja, on Saturday.
The incident occurred at an empowerment programme jointly organized by the Office of the Senior Special Assistant to the President on Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and the Renewed Hope Initiative, a project of First Lady Senator Oluremi Tinubu, where 1,000 women across Lagos State were beneficiaries.
Journalists covering the event said Fagbemi confronted the official press crew as they arrived at the venue in their designated media bus. Without provocation, he halted the vehicle and launched into insults, accusing the journalists of being “disruptive” and “unprofessional.”
At the height of the confrontation, Fagbemi declared that journalists could not remove his shoes — a condescending expression that reporters described as both demeaning and embarrassing, especially coming from a senior officer of the governor’s security team.
According to the press team, this is not the first time Fagbemi has exhibited such behaviour. On January 1, 2025, during the Thanksgiving Service of the Lagos First Family at Tafawa Balewa Square, the CSO also subjected journalists to a similar tirade, publicly humiliating them while they carried out their duties.
Although Saturday’s incident did not escalate into physical confrontation, the journalists described the CSO’s conduct as part of a troubling pattern of hostility and intimidation against the media within government circles.
“This is unacceptable. We were simply doing our jobs, yet we were treated with hostility by someone who should be protecting us,” one of the reporters said.
The development has sparked outrage among media professionals, with renewed calls on Governor Sanwo-Olu to investigate the repeated incidents and hold his security aide accountable to protect press freedom