The Lagos State Judicial Panel on restitution for victims of SARS related abuses and other matters sitting in Lagos on Friday awarded a total sum of ₦19.2 million to six petitioners for the infringement on their fundamental right to life and human dignity by the Nigeria police force, just as it dismissed a petition for lacking merit.
In the petition of Akinmade Akinrolabu vs the Nigeria Police Force, the petitioner was awarded the sum of ₦1.5 million as compensation.
In another petition of Ezeh Nnamdi Diedonne vs the Federal Special Anti-Robbery Squad (FSARS), the petition was dismissed for lacking merit.
In the petition of Sanusi Oluwakemi vs the Nigeria Police Force, the petitioner was awarded seven hundred and fifty thousand nairas as compensation.
In the petition of Patrick Ocheme Micheal vs the Nigeria police force, the petitioner was awarded compensation in the sum of ₦3 million, while in the case of Ayomide Oyewunmi vs the Nigeria Police Force, the petitioner was awarded compensation in the sum of ₦1million.
In the petition of the family of Adeshina Adeoshun vs the Nigeria Police Force, the petitioner’s family was awarded compensation in the sum of ₦10 million for his killing allegedly by the Nigeria Police Force, Olosan division on October 20, 2020.
The panel also recommended the arrest and prosecution of all the officers involved in the killing of the deceased just as it ordered the police to produce the corpse which was reported to have been taken away by policemen from the Olosan police station Mushin on the day of the incident.
In the petition of Oluwatosin Temitope Odebode vs the Nigeria police force, the petitioner was awarded ₦3 million in compensation for brutality suffered at the hands of policemen.
In another incident that delayed the commencement of the panel’s proceedings today on resumption from its indefinite adjournment of sitting, the panel frowned at unwholesome practices by litigants who sought to drag the name of the panel into disrepute.
The panel informed the sitting through its chairman Justice Doris Okuwobi (Rtd.), that it had to intervene in the case of a petitioner who was awarded the sum of ten million nairas as compensation, but from whom the counsel collected thirty per cent with a promise that he wanted to give ten per cent as appreciation to panel members.
The counsel collected three million out of ten million nairas awarded the petitioner as compensation for bodily injuries sustained from indiscriminate shooting by policemen at Ilasamaja, Lagos.
The panel frowned at such irresponsible and criminal act alleged against the counsel by his client and made it clear that it does not collect commission from anybody for the assignment.
The panel stated that the conduct of the lawyer has been reported to the NBA which was present at the interrogation session on the matter at the panel chambers.
The panel also conducted hearings into the Lekki tollgate incident of 20th October 2020 by taking testimony from the Divisional Police Officer (DPO) of Maroko police station CSP Ganiyu Raji on the role of the Nigeria police force under his jurisdiction during the EndSARS protest. The DPO was cross-examined by counsels.
The panel has adjourned for the day.
