TheCable

Ebun-Olu Adegboruwa, a senior advocate of Nigeria (SAN), says he expects the Lagos government to keep its promise of making the report of the judicial panel on police brutality public.

Adegboruwa, a member of the panel, said he will “never subscribe” to anything that would amount to hiding the report from members of the public.

On Monday, the panel submitted two sets of reports — a consolidated report on police brutality cases and the Lekki incident investigation — to Babajide Sanwo-Olu, governor of the state.

On October 19, 2020, as part of recommendations put forward during the #EndSARS protests, the Lagos government inaugurated the judicial panel to investigate petitions on police brutality in the state.

On October 18, 2021, the panel concluded sittings and announced that its report will be submitted to the state, and Sanwo-Olu promised that the findings would be made public.

Speaking after receiving the report on Monday, Sanwo-Olu constituted a four-member committee headed by Moyosore Onigbanjo, the state’s attorney-general, to come up with a white paper on the panel’s recommendations within the next two weeks.

Reacting to the development via a statement, Adegboruwa said it is “unfair and improper” for Sanwo-Olu to constitute a committee to review the panel’s report.

“In particular, the panel affirmed the rights of the people of Nigeria to constitutionally guaranteed freedom of lawful assembly and peaceful protests, freedom of association and freedom of expression,” the statement reads.

“The panel made far-reaching recommendations concerning the major actors that were found culpable, in order to achieve true healing and reconciliation.

“Although I have my own copy of the report of the panel, I will trust His Excellency, the Governor of Lagos State, to fulfill 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 our 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 toll gate, it will be unfair and improper for Lagos state to be a judge in its own cause, by seeking to review the report of the Panel.

“However, the governor explained to me that this would only be done to enable the government implement the findings and recommendations of the Panel and not to tamper with it or mutilate it. I believe His Excellency.

“I will however keep observing the turn of events and at the appropriate time, one may be forced to state the full contents of the report if the promises made are not fulfilled. I can never and will never subscribe to anything that would amount to covering up the report of the panel.

“We have done our work in the best way that we could. Nigerians should demand for justice against all culprits who have been named in detail, in our report.”

In February, Adegboruwa and three other members of the panel opposed the ruling of Doris Okuwobi, a retired judge who headed the panel, on the reopening of the Lekki tollgate.