#EndSARS: Lagos Panel Awards Four Petitioners N16.25m

The Lagos State Judicial Panel on Restitution for victims of
SARS and other related matters has handed out cheques to four
deserving petitioners.

At the resumed sitting on Saturday, the panel gave decisions in
six petitions and found that the four of them were able to prove
their cases successfully.

The petitioners, comprising three women and a man, received a
total of N16.25 million in total.

A breakdown of the amount shows that the three women received
cheques of N10 million, N5 million, and N750,000 respectively,
while the man got a cheque of N500,000.

They took turns to receive the cheques from the Chairman of the
Panel, Justice Doris Okuwobi.

Following the presentation of the cheques to the petitioners,
the panel moved on to the cross-examination of a trauma and
orthopaedic surgeon, Dr Babatunde Lawson, from Reddington
Hospital.

However, the cross-examination of the medical practitioner was
stalled because the counsel to the Lagos State government who was
meant to take him through the process was absent.

Thereafter, the panel listened to the testimony of another
petitioner, Samuel Ashola, who was at the venue of the Lekki
tollgate protest in October 2020.

Petitions breakdown
The first petitioner on Saturday, Felicia Opara, was a young woman
who was captured in a viral video on Oct 12, 2020, following an
alleged assault by some police officers in the Ojuelegba area of
Lagos.

Among other things, the panel found that the culture of impunity
and violence is rampant among some police officers in Nigeria.

The panel also found that there is sometimes an inability of the
authorities to bring perpetrators of torture to book.

The panel therefore recommended an apology by the police to the
petitioner, Felicia Opara.

The panel also recommended training of the police on human
rights law & enforcement as well as the need to make policemen take
responsibility for their actions.

The panel then awarded compensation to the petitioner in the sum
of N750,000.

The second petitioner, Tolulope Openiyi was compensated with the
sum of N10m.

The panel found that she successfully proved that her husband,
Olusegun was shot dead in August 2017, by a police officer, Jide
Akinola, attached to the Sabo, Yaba police station.

The panel found that there was no contrary evidence offered by
the police to her testimony that her husband was shot at a police
checkpoint.

The panel also found that though the police authorities arrested
the erring police officer, his investigation was not properly
conducted as he was later released.

The panel therefore recommended the prosecution of the police
officer. The panel also recommended scholarship for one child of
the victim.

Other general recommendations made by the panel include public
condemnation and immediate sanctioning of police officers where
necessary and an adequate and speedy compensation of victims and
their families with the cost of compensation to be set aside by the
Nigerian Government for the police.

The third petitioner, Francis Idum was alleged to be a victim of
extrajudicial killing by a SARS officer during a cult clash,
sometime in July, 2019

Witnesses who testified in the petition filed by family members
of the deceased claimed police officers from Area F police command
also took away his body.

In reaching its decision, the panel found that none of the
witnesses who testified was an eye witness to the incident as they
could not give direct evidence of the person who shot the
deceased.

The panel also found that the evidence of the police on its
movement of arms register for the day of the incident showed that
only AK47 rifles were signed out for use and not a pistol as was
allegedly used on the victim.

In the final analysis the panel recalled that there was a cult
clash on the day and the balance of probability and the
preponderance of evidence tilted more in favor of the police.

The panel was therefore unable to recommend compensation for the
petitioner as it was not proved that the gunshot which caused his
death was a weapon handled by the police.

The panel however recommended that the police conducts a better
investigation by commissioning an independent outfit vested with
the mandate to unravel the circumstances that lead to the death of
the petitioner.

In the fourth decision involving Oladoyin Ademola, the panel was
also unable to recommend monetary compensation.

The panel held that the petitioner did not connect the cataract
he suffers in his eye to acts of assault allegedly perpetrated on
him by men of the Nigerian police.

The panel however recommended that the DPO and officers at the
Dopemu check point and police station as at the date of the
incident should be investigated.

The fifth petitioner, Blessing Omoregie Esanbor was compensated
with the sum of N5m.

The panel found that though her police assailant, Emmanuel
Okujor was imprisoned for 17 years for the offence, the petitioner
still has a permanent disability and requires plastic surgery to
fix her face.

The panel also recommended periodic psychological evaluation of
policemen especially those who bear arms.

The sixth petitioner, Tella Adesanya, an officer of Nigerian
Agricultural Quarantine Services under the Min. of Agriculture, was
awarded N500,000 compensation for his unlawful arrest for three
days, the seizure of his car since 2018 till date, extortion and
for the trauma he suffered at the hands of the police officers.

The panel also recommended the immediate release of his car.

The Lagos State Judicial Panel on Restitution for victims of
SARS and other related matters has handed out cheques to four
deserving petitioners.

At the resumed sitting on Saturday, the panel gave decisions in
six petitions and found that the four of them were able to prove
their cases successfully.

The petitioners, comprising three women and a man, received a
total of N16.25 million in total.

A breakdown of the amount shows that the three women received
cheques of N10 million, N5 million, and N750,000 respectively,
while the man got a cheque of N500,000.

They took turns to receive the cheques from the Chairman of the
Panel, Justice Doris Okuwobi.

Following the presentation of the cheques to the petitioners,
the panel moved on to the cross-examination of a trauma and
orthopaedic surgeon, Dr Babatunde Lawson, from Reddington
Hospital.

However, the cross-examination of the medical practitioner was
stalled because the counsel to the Lagos State government who was
meant to take him through the process was absent.

Thereafter, the panel listened to the testimony of another
petitioner, Samuel Ashola, who was at the venue of the Lekki
tollgate protest in October 2020.

Petitions breakdown
The first petitioner on Saturday, Felicia Opara, was a young woman
who was captured in a viral video on Oct 12, 2020, following an
alleged assault by some police officers in the Ojuelegba area of
Lagos.

Among other things, the panel found that the culture of impunity
and violence is rampant among some police officers in Nigeria.

The panel also found that there is sometimes an inability of the
authorities to bring perpetrators of torture to book.

The panel therefore recommended an apology by the police to the
petitioner, Felicia Opara.

The panel also recommended training of the police on human
rights law & enforcement as well as the need to make policemen take
responsibility for their actions.

The panel then awarded compensation to the petitioner in the sum
of N750,000.

The second petitioner, Tolulope Openiyi was compensated with the
sum of N10m.

The panel found that she successfully proved that her husband,
Olusegun was shot dead in August 2017, by a police officer, Jide
Akinola, attached to the Sabo, Yaba police station.

The panel found that there was no contrary evidence offered by
the police to her testimony that her husband was shot at a police
checkpoint.

The panel also found that though the police authorities arrested
the erring police officer, his investigation was not properly
conducted as he was later released.

The panel therefore recommended the prosecution of the police
officer. The panel also recommended scholarship for one child of
the victim.

Other general recommendations made by the panel include public
condemnation and immediate sanctioning of police officers where
necessary and an adequate and speedy compensation of victims and
their families with the cost of compensation to be set aside by the
Nigerian Government for the police.

The third petitioner, Francis Idum was alleged to be a victim of
extrajudicial killing by a SARS officer during a cult clash,
sometime in July, 2019

Witnesses who testified in the petition filed by family members
of the deceased claimed police officers from Area F police command
also took away his body.

In reaching its decision, the panel found that none of the
witnesses who testified was an eye witness to the incident as they
could not give direct evidence of the person who shot the
deceased.

The panel also found that the evidence of the police on its
movement of arms register for the day of the incident showed that
only AK47 rifles were signed out for use and not a pistol as was
allegedly used on the victim.

In the final analysis the panel recalled that there was a cult
clash on the day and the balance of probability and the
preponderance of evidence tilted more in favor of the police.

The panel was therefore unable to recommend compensation for the
petitioner as it was not proved that the gunshot which caused his
death was a weapon handled by the police.

The panel however recommended that the police conducts a better
investigation by commissioning an independent outfit vested with
the mandate to unravel the circumstances that lead to the death of
the petitioner.

In the fourth decision involving Oladoyin Ademola, the panel was
also unable to recommend monetary compensation.

The panel held that the petitioner did not connect the cataract
he suffers in his eye to acts of assault allegedly perpetrated on
him by men of the Nigerian police.

The panel however recommended that the DPO and officers at the
Dopemu check point and police station as at the date of the
incident should be investigated.

The fifth petitioner, Blessing Omoregie Esanbor was compensated
with the sum of N5m.

The panel found that though her police assailant, Emmanuel
Okujor was imprisoned for 17 years for the offence, the petitioner
still has a permanent disability and requires plastic surgery to
fix her face.

The panel also recommended periodic psychological evaluation of
policemen especially those who bear arms.

The sixth petitioner, Tella Adesanya, an officer of Nigerian
Agricultural Quarantine Services under the Min. of Agriculture, was
awarded N500,000 compensation for his unlawful arrest for three
days, the seizure of his car since 2018 till date, extortion and
for the trauma he suffered at the hands of the police officers.

The panel also recommended the immediate release of his car.