Adegboruwa warns against review, threatens to make the report public
The Lagos State #EndSARS Judicial Panel on Police Brutality and Other Related Abuses has submitted its report to the state government.
The report was submitted yesterday to Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu at the Government House, Ikeja.
Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu (fifth right); with his deputy, Dr. Obafemi Hamzat (fifth left); Chairman, Lagos State Judicial Panel of Inquiry Report on Restitution for Victims of SARS Related Abuses and other Matters, Justice Doris Okuwobi (rtd) (fourth right) and members of the panel and State Executive Council, during the presentation of their report at Lagos House, Ikeja…yesterday.
The panel submitted two sets of reports — a consolidated report on police brutality cases and the Lekki incident investigation.
Sanwo-Olu, while receiving the report, said it is the beginning of the “difficult process of proper reconciliation and restitution.”
The governor, who commended members of the panel for the work done, said posterity would be kind to them.
He said the report would be submitted to the National Economic Council (NEC), adding that “proper response” would be accorded to the recommendations.
Sanwo-Olu also constituted a four-member committee headed by the state’s Commissioner for Justice and Attorney-General, Moyosore Onigbanjo (SAN), to come up with a white paper on the panel’s recommendations within the next two weeks.
“I am believing and trusting that this process would help us start the very difficult process of proper reconciliation, restitution and bringing together anyone that must have been one form or the other affected,” he said.
The sitting was initially meant to last for six months but the period of proceedings stretched into one year.
MEANWHILE, a human rights lawyer and member of the #EndSARS panel, Ebun Olu Adegboruwa (SAN), has warned against a review of the panel’s report.
The rights activist said it would be unfair and improper for Lagos State to be a judge in its own cause by seeking to review the report of the panel.
The lawyer threatened to make the outcome of the report public if the Governor, Sanwo-Olu, fails to do so.
He said: “Although I have my own copy of the report of the panel, I will trust His Excellency, the Governor of Lagos State, to fulfil his promise to Nigerians to make the findings and recommendations of the panel public. That is the only way to build a true nation and avoid a repeat of the atrocious acts of security agencies against the people, especially the youths, the vulnerable and the helpless.
“It is my view that Lagos State, having appeared before the panel as a party, having tendered documents before the panel and led witnesses to take a position on the incident of the Lekki Tollgate, it will be unfair and improper for it to be a judge in its own cause by seeking to review the report of the panel.”
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