Ogun Governor, Prince Dapo Abiodun, has assured that he will implement the report of the State’s Judicial Panel of Investigation on Police Brutality and Extra Judicial Killings. The Governor who gave the assurance while receiving the report said its implementation was necessary towards having a peaceful society and engendering of a more robust relationship between the people and security agencies. Governor Abiodun who spoke on Friday appreciated the Panel members for their selfless efforts and contributions towards the successful completion of the task. “I believe that the implementation of this report will end the gory experience often encountered by residents of the State”, the Governor assured. The State’s helmsman added that it is important for all of us as a people and security agenci...
A judicial panel of police brutality and other related matters has recommended about N755 million as compensations for petitioners. The Chairman of the panel, Salisu Sidiq, revealed this while submitting the committee’s reports and recommendations to Governor Rotimi Akeredolu. The panel inaugurated on October 20, 2020, sought to address issues that led to #EndSARS protests in the state. Mr Sidiq said it received and heard 77 petitions, out of which 14 were criminal, and 63 were civil matters. He added, “Mr Governor sir, the panel, after careful consideration of its limitations in line with extant Supreme Court judgments on the powers of panels of inquiry to entertain res-judicata cases I suggest that it is high time a review is carried out on Section 84 of the Sheriffs and Civil Process Ac...
The National Judicial Council (NJC) under the Chairmanship of the Chief Justice of Nigeria, Justice Ibrahim Muhammad, has recommended to President Muhammadu Buhari, the appointment of 18 Justices into the bench of the Court of Appeal. The NJC similarly recommended to eight governors including that of Delta, Rivers, Ebonyi, Kogi, Jigawa and Nasarawa, the appointment of eight judges as Heads of Court in their affected states. The affected judicial officers according to a statement by the Director, Information, NJC, were considered for appointment by the NJC’s Interview Committee at the NJC’s 94th Meeting held on December 17 and 18, 2020. Among those recommended for appointment into the bench of the appellate court are; Justice Bature Gafai, Justice Muhammad Sirajo and Justice Waziri Abdul-Az...
The Ekiti State government will on Monday present monetary compensation to the first batch of police brutality survivors as recommended by the Judicial Panel of Inquiry into Allegations of Human Rights Violations Against the Defunct Special Anti-Robbery Squad and Others. The panel was set up in the state following a directive issued by the Presidency to state governments to review allegations of human rights violations against members of the public by officials of the defunct Special Anti-Robbery Squad. This was after youths took to the street with the #EndSARS campaign to protest against police brutality as allegedly committed by operatives of the defunct SARS. The panel set up in Ekiti is led by Retired Justice Cornelius Akintayo and comprises representatives of youth groups, civil socie...
The deputy speaker of the house of representatives, Idris Wase, has questioned the eligibility of Nigerians living abroad to submit petitions. Wase, who presided over plenary on Thursday, rejected a petition from “Mutual Union of the Tiv in America,” saying Nigerians in the diaspora do not “really know” the situation in Nigeria and thus are not eligible to file petitions. The petition, presented by Mark Terseer Gbillah, lawmaker representing Benue Gwer east/Gwer west federal constituency, accused the federal government of not resettling the Tiv people displaced from their ancestral land through various attacks. Thousands of Nigerians were reportedly displaced in the north-central region as a result of the farmer-herders crises. “I have a petition from the mutual union of the Tiv in America...
Reddington Hospital Lagos, Saturday produced the medical records of some of the patients it treated following the Lekki toll gate ‘shootings’ of last October 20. One of the hospital’s trauma and orthopaedic surgeons, Dr. Babajide Lawson, presented the case files to the Lagos State Judicial Panel on Restitution for Victims of SARS and the Lekki Tollgate Incident. The Nigerian Army has been accused of opening fire with live bullets on peaceful protesters at the Toll Gate demanding an end to police brutality using the hash tag #EndSARS. Some of the protesters have submitted petitions to the panel alleging that men of the Army’s 81 Division shot at and killed several #EndSARS protesters that night, a claim the Army denied. The Army has, however, shunned further appearance at the panel, without...
The Senate said the National Assembly Committees on Public Account would probe the allegation of misappropriation of N4.4bn by the federal parliament, as contained in an audit report. The Deputy Director of the Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project, Kolawole Oluwadare, had in a statement alleged that an audit report revealed that the fund budgeted for the National Assembly, was misappropriated. SERAP has therefore given Messrs Ahmad Lawan and Femi Gbajabiamila, President of the Senate and Speaker, House of Representatives, respectively, 14 days ultimatum to address and implement the recommendations contained in the audit reports. But the Chairman, Senate Committee on Media and Public Affairs, Ajibola Basiru, in his reaction said the alleged infractions occurred during the 8th Na...
File Photo The candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party in the October 2020 governorship election in Ondo State, Mr Eyitayo Jegede, and his party, on Wednesday, closed their cases at the Election Petition Tribunal sitting in the state. Jegede is challenging the outcome of the election in which Governor Rotimi Akeredolu was declared the winner by the Independent National Electoral Commission. One of the grounds in the Jegede’s petition was that Akeredolu was not eligible to contest the election. The PDP and Jegede had initially listed 400 witnesses and other exhibits before the tribunal while they had requested for additional nine days to defend their case before the court. However, at the proceeding on Wednesday, the counsel to the petitioners, Mr Onyechi Ipeazu, said the petitioners were...
The Ekiti State Judicial Panel of Inquiry on the Allegations of Human Rights Violations Against the Police, defunct SARS officers and other Persons has commenced its activities with a call on citizens of the State to start submitting petitions ahead of its November 2 inaugural sitting. The State Attorney-General and Commissioner for Justice, Mr Olawale Fapohunda, disclosed this in Ado-Ekiti on Monday while giving an update on activities of the Judicial Panel. He said the panel had liberalised the process of filing petitions that will make it convenient for anyone from any part of the state to file their petitions without going through any form of stress. The Attorney-General explained that the partnership with various institutions and individuals was to ensure that everyone whose rights ha...