BY ROTIMI DUROJAIYE
What began as a protest against the hated police Special Anti-Robbery Squad became a conduit for the youth to vent their anger with the people who have been in charge of Nigeria for decades.
The success of the protest in forcing concessions from the government, such as a promise to disband SARS, and wider police reform, gave Nigerian youths confidence and they believe that they could make a difference.
While those who backed and came out in support of the #EndSARS movement were peaceful, another segment of the youth saw the protests as an opportunity.
They vandalised shops, raided warehouses and targeted the businesses of prominent politicians.
On October 22, 2020, President Muhammadu Buhari’s addressed Nigerians where he called for an end to the protests.
Consequently, the National Economic Council, headed by Vice President Yemi Osinbajo, and comprising state governors, met and, as part of the measures to calm frayed nerves arising from the protests, recommended the setting up of the judicial panels to look into cases of police brutality especially by SARS and point the way forward.
On July 2, 2021, the NEC received updates on the reports of the state judicial panels set up across the country.
Presidential spokesperson, Laolu Akande, said the Vice President urged states where the panels were still sitting to also send interim reports “so as to measure progress.”
2, 458 petitions filed in 19 states, govts to pay N25b claims
Compensations recommended by the various panels, show that nearly N25bn is to be paid to victims of police brutality across nine states of the federation.
A total of 2, 458 petitions were filed against the police by potential victims across 19 states for investigation by the panels.
Complaints in the petitions included extra-judicial killings by the police, torture, unlawful detention and destruction of property.
Bayelsa tops the list of states where panels recommended compensations to victims with a huge sum of N21billion to be paid.
Rivers follows with N1billion. Imo is next with N770, 985,800.
Ondo is paying N755million, Abia N511million, Ogun N218million, Plateau N152million and Lagos N83million while Ekiti is paying N20.8million to 52 victims.
On petitions, Anambra has the highest number with 311 complaints filed before the panel sitting in the state.
Lagos has 235 petitions, FCT 200 while 190 were received in Rivers.
170 petitions were filed in Edo, 163 in Oyo, 150 in Akwa Ibom, 147 in Enugu, 145 in Imo, 106 in Ogun, 101 in Katsina, 86 each in Delta and Abia, 85 in Ekiti, 77 in Ondo, 73 in Ebonyi, 50 in Bayelsa, 34 in Osun, 32 in Bauchi and 17 in Niger.
Seven states (Borno, Jigawa, Kano, Kebbi, Sokoto, Yobe and Zamfara) did not establish any panels either because they have no such problem or their authorities do not care.
It is unfortunate that neither the federal government nor the states took the issue seriously thus confirming the cynicism of the youths that the idea was simply to stall.
The panels were initially mandated to end hearing petitions in April, but the date was extended till July and later to October.
Delta State
Recently, the Delta State branch of Take IT Back movement, called on the Governor, Ifeanyi Okowa, to implement the report submitted to him by the chairman of the judicial panel of inquiry, Justice Celestina Ogisi.
The group disclosed that the state government had promised to consider the implementation of the findings and recommendations of the panel.
It was gathered that for months, the state government had assured that justice would be done.
However, it was learnt that nothing had so far been done to implement the recommendations of the reports.
The judicial panel of inquiry had received 86 petitions out of which 37 were struck out while 49 were duly considered by the panel.
Akwa Ibom State
Akwa Ibom State Governor, Udom Emmanuel, has promised to present the Akwa Ibom State judicial panel of inquiry report on police brutality to the NEC for implementation.
The governor who stated this in July while receiving the panel’s report from the chairman, Justice Ifiok Ukana (Rtd), appreciated the intellectual and physical energy invested in the production of the report.
He said the report will ensure radical reforms, justice, the rule of law and an effective, efficient, result oriented and people centered policing.
Speaking earlier, Justice Ukana thanked the governor for the opportunity to serve, recounting that the procedure adopted by the panel in the discharge of their responsibilities and stated that every police officer (serving or retired) who was petitioned, was served the petition and given time and facility to enter their defence, in order to grant them fair hearing.
Edo State
In Edo State, the panel has submitted its report to Governor Godwin Obaseki.
The chairman of the 28-man panel, Ada Ehigiamuose, a retired judge, submitted the report to the governor at the Government House, Benin, on July 14.
While receiving the report, Obaseki said the last year’s protests “are a pointer to the fundamental injustices in our society.”
“All of us, particularly our political leaders in this country, must begin to understand that if we do not listen to the yearnings of our people more, and continue to carry on as if we are in power for ourselves, the #ENDSARS protests that we experienced last year will be a joke. We pray that the situation does not reoccur,” the governor added.
The chairperson of the panel in the state, Ms Ehigiamuose, said the panel received 170 petitions and struck out 25 for lack of diligent prosecution.
She said 10 others were dismissed for lacking in merit while 135 petitions were meritorious.
According to her, 10 of the meritorious 135 petitions sought the enforcement of judgments of various high courts against the police for their acts of brutality and extrajudicial killings.
Plateau State
The Plateau panel recommended N152million compensations to victims of police excesses.
It submitted its final report to Governor Simon Lalong on June 13.
FCT
The 11-member panel set up by the National Human Rights Commission received over 200 petitions from across the country and was still receiving more.
Its activities have been grounded due to a lack of funds from the federal government that was said to have promised to fund its sittings.
It was learnt that the panel last sat in April. Members’ allowances and awards made in favour of victims remain unpaid.
Katsina State
The secretary of the Katsina panel, Ibrahim Daku, said the state was the only state in the North West to set up body to probe police brutality.
“We received cases from Kano but we asked the complainants to go back to Kano,” he said.
Daku stated that the panel had submitted its report to Governor Aminu Masari but did not state how much was awarded to victims.
“We made recommendations for compensations and punishment for those found wanting in the discharge of their duties,” he said.
The panel received 101 petitions, adjudicated on 89 cases and struck out 12.
Adamawa State
The Adamawa panel has submitted its report to Governor Ahmadu Fintiri but the government is yet to disclose its findings and recommendations.
Bauchi State
The Bauchi panel said it received 32 petitions. The secretary, Adamu Gumba, said five of the cases were settled out of court while the panel was deliberating on the remaining 27.
Niger State
The Niger panel submitted its report on February 24. The chairman, Justice Ishaku Usman (rtd), said the panel received 17 petitions. The governor inaugurated a White Paper Committee headed by Bello Dan-Yahaya to go through the report and make recommendations for implementation.
Lagos State
Lagos State, the epicentre of the crisis, has submitted an interim report with a promise that the final one would be turned in later this month.
The judicial panel had awarded N83 million compensations to 12 petitioners.
235 petitions were received by the panel between October and December 2020.
Of this number, about 112 cases have been brought up before the panel. These included cases that have been struck out, those undergoing hearing and those that have received judgments.
And of the 112 cases brought before the panel, 10 were struck out for want of diligent prosecution while four cases were withdrawn.
Imo State
The Imo panel, headed by Justice Florence Duruoha-Igwe (rtd), has submitted its report. It began sitting November 3, 2020 and ended on May 4, 2021. It recommended N770, 985,800 as compensation to victims.
The secretary, Isaac Oguzie, said the panel received 145 petitions and nine memoranda, 45 of which were related to death and permanent disability.
According to him, 14 petitions were struck out for want of jurisdiction, adding that eight petitions were dismissed, two recommended for apology and 102 successfully heard.
Enugu State
The Enugu panel was expected to submit its report in August, it was learnt.
It was gathered that the panel ought to have concluded its sitting since April but requested an extension due to the number and peculiar nature of the petitions.
The panel received 147 petitions, which bordered mainly on extra-judicial killings of scores of young men by the police.
Anambra State
The Anambra panel, headed by Justice Veronica Umeh (rtd), has prepared its draft recommendations.
Anambra chairman of Civil Society Organisations, Chris Azor, who is one of the members, said the panel received 311 petitions which, according to him, is the highest in the country.
He said the panel stopped collecting petitions at some point, adding that they had been sitting daily to decide them.
“We are not going to disclose anything now because we are still sitting. But we’ve done a draft of recommendations.
“We have concluded sitting. What we are doing now is in-chamber sitting because we need to get to the real facts. It’s not easy for Anambra, but we’re getting there.”
Abia State
The Abia panel recommended payment of N511million to victims of police brutality in the state.
Its chairman, Justice Sunday Imo (rtd), said the panel received 86 petitions, 46 of which were heard. The rest were dismissed or struck out.
Governor Okezie Ikpeazu promised to study the report.
Ebonyi State
In Ebonyi, the secretary, Emma Onwe, said it received 73 petitions.
Kano State
Kano State did not set up the panel. The state government was of the view that the #EndSARS protest did not hold in Kano.
While the protest raged in other parts of the country, groups in Kano, including the state branch of the Northern Youth Forum, called for police reformation.
Besides, the police in Kano were adjudged as doing their job well. The state believed setting up a panel would discourage officers from doing the “good work” they have been doing, a source said.
It was also learnt that the governor had asked the state executive council to constitute a #EndSARS panel, but the idea was dropped after consultations.
Ondo State
After receiving 77 petitions, the panel in Ondo State has recommended the payment of N755.7million compensations to victims.
Chairman of the panel, Justice Adesola Sidiq (rtd), said that the petitions were received from public and private persons including organisations.
“Compensations recommended by the various panels, show that nearly N25bn is to be paid to victims of police brutality across nine states of the federation”
Sidiq said that the “disheartening aspect of our assignment bordered on human rights violations which date as far back as 2003 and unfortunately remained unresolved until this panel was set up.”
According to him, the panel heard 14 criminal and 63 civil matters in the petitions.
After the panel submitted its report, Governor Rotimi Akeredolu had lamented the worsening security situation in the country since the end of #ENDSARS, saying those who used the protests to settle political scores like the burning of the secretariat of the APC and the PDP in Ondo would bear their cost.
Akeredolu said “ENDSARS was a legitimate protest but it got to a point where hoodlums hijacked it.”
Oyo State
The Oyo State judicial panel said 152 petitions were treated out of the 163 it received.
The chairperson, Justice Badejoko Adeniji (rtd), said, to some extent, the police had cooperated with the panel, adding that the panel had wide power under the Oyo State Inquiry law, especially Section 7, where people do not want to cooperate, to exercise the power.
Adeniji disclosed that the panel had not made any recommendation because that was not part of its mandate.
Osun State
In July, seven out of the 13-member panel that investigated cases of police brutality and abuse in Osun State disowned a report of the panel allegedly submitted to the governor by the secretariat.
The secretary of the panel, Mrs. Kemi Bello, said no report had been submitted.
A letter signed by the members namely; Wasiu Oyedokun, Ayo Ologun, Oluwasegun Idowu, Abayomi Ogundele, Abdulrahaman Okunade, Ismail Abdul Azeez and Teslim Salahudeen, dated 15th July and addressed to the governor, said the committee had not completed its work and as such, the report has not been completed.
The letter titled, ‘Notice of inconclusiveness of resolutions of the Osun State Panel of Enquiry on Police Brutality,’ reads in part, “This notice to Your Excellency is informed by the information we had to the effect that a copy of a purported report of the panel’s works has been submitted to Your Excellency.
“We wish to state unequivocally that, if the information is true, the purported report did not emanate from the panel, as we did not conclude upon any report and indeed did not append our signatures to any.
“The last time the panel met and collectively worked on its recommendations was Thursday, May, 27, 2021, after which the panel adjourned to reconvene on Saturday, May 29, 2021 (to continue the panel’s works on the recommendations), but which opportunity of meeting was never made possible again by the panel’s secretariat, in spite of several calls for a meeting by the undersigned and other panelists.”
Bello said she did not sign any letter written to the governor by the panel members. When asked if a report had been submitted to the governor, she said, “No, not yet.”
Ekiti State
In Ekiti, the 10-man judicial panel, was inaugurated by Governor Kayode Fayemi on October 22, 2020
According to the chairman, Justice Cornelius Akintayo (rtd), the panel received 85 petitions out of which compensations were recommended in 50 even as the allegations ranged from loss of lives to physical injury, trauma and loss of property.
The first tranche of compensations to 24 beneficiaries to the tune of over N7 million was paid in March 15, 2021 even before the panel concluded its assignment and submitted its report on May 7, 2021 while compensations to the remaining 28 beneficiaries to the tune of N13.8 million would be paid soon.
Those who were awarded compensations cut across social strata, including policemen, widow, students, market women and artisans.
While receiving the report of the panel, Fayemi used the occasion to announce the establishment of a Citizens’ Complaints’ Center, which would be saddled with the responsibility of receiving complaints and grievances for necessary government action.
Ogun State
The judicial panel has submitted its report to Governor Dapo Abiodun with recommendation of over N218 million as compensation to 42 victims or families.
The chairman of the panel, Justice Solomon Olugbemi, while submitting the report, said the compensation was recommended for victims or families of victims of brutality and violation of human rights by police and other security personnel in the state.
Olugbemi added that the panel also made recommendations for the investigation, discipline and, where appropriate, prosecution of certain personnel to serve as deterrent and in the interest of justice.
He revealed that the panel received 106 petitions out of which 58 were treated and 48 withdrawn, rejected or abandoned by petitioners.
Bayelsa State
Justice Ogola, submitting the Bayelsa panel’s report to Governor Douye Diri, represented by his deputy, Lawrence Ewhrudjakpo, said the panel, which awarded N21 billion to victims of extra-judicial killings perpetrated by police and other security operatives, received and determined a total of 50 petitions and made recommendations based on their findings.
Of the 50 cases, the panel chairman said 11 police officers were recommended for prosecution, one for dismissal and four for demotion, while eight cases were struck out.
The panel chair explained that N21 billion was awarded as damages out of the 40 cases fully determined as well as compensations to communities razed by the Nigerian Army.
Receiving the report, Diri said: “The issues you have raised will be looked into. The N21 billion awarded is appropriate, but for the security agencies to pay is another thing.
Despite the NEC directive that the reports be submitted for final deliberations on modalities for implementation, many states are not in a hurry to do so. In some of the states, members were funding proceedings from their pockets. Cross River and Taraba panels are among those reportedly not well funded. In some others, the panels have stopped sitting even though the job is yet to be completed.
As the panels are winding down, the issues of remedies, redress and compensations for the injustice and humiliation suffered by the victims are on the table.
Beyond the issue of compensation, what transpired last October should be a wake-up call for those in authority to depart from business as usual and begin to address the various issues that were so clearly articulated by the protests. On the specific matter of police reform on which the original protest was premised, the federal government gave certain undertakings. It is hoped that implementing the reports from the states and the much-awaited federal government reform will produce a more citizen-friendly police that are fit for a democratic society.
