#EndSARS: NEC receives judicial panels’ reports from 11 states

The National Economic Council (NEC) has received the reports of judicial panels of inquiry into allegations of human rights violations against members of the Nigeria Police Force and other Security agencies.

Following the October 2020 #EndSARS protests, which later transformed into violent demonstrations, and in furtherance of resolution of NEC, 28 States and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) (under the auspices of the National Human Rights Commission) had set up Judicial Panels/Commissions of Inquiry (Panels) to investigate allegations of violations of human rights leveled against members of the Nigeria Police Force and other security agencies, especially members of the disbanded Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS).

According to Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media and Publicity Office of the Vice President Laolu Akande, the 28 States that set up these Panels were Abia, Adamawa, Akwa Ibom, Anambra, Bauchi, Bayelsa, Benue, Cross River, Delta, Ebonyi, Edo, Ekiti, Enugu, Gombe, Imo, Kaduna, Katsina, Kogi, Kwara, Lagos, Nasarawa, Ogun, Ondo, Osun, Oyo, Plateau, Rivers, and Taraba.

He said out of the 28 States, 11 States (Abia, Ekiti, Enugu, Gombe, Kwara, Nasarawa, Ogun, Ondo, Osun, Plateau, and Rivers) had submitted their final reports to Council; with Lagos, set to finalise its sittings on 19th October 2021, submitting an interim report.

Advertisement

Akande said governors of other States including Delta and Ebonyi at Friday NEC meeting also indicated that their reports would be submitted soon.

He said “following deliberations on the recommendations of the panels, council resolved that each State, in collaboration with the Federal Government, shall establish modalities for the settlement of all monetary compensations awarded by the Panels.

“Already, as resolved by NEC, a number of States have set up Victims Compensation Funds, from which several victims have already received payments of sums awarded to them by the panels,” he stated.

Akande said the council directed state governors to immediately forward copies of final reports of the panels to their Attorneys-General for prompt arraignment and prosecution of all indicted persons.

He said the council agreed that where incidents in the reports related to matters of discipline, in addition to prosecution, the Nigeria Police Force should take disciplinary action on the affected officers in line with the provisions of the Police Act 2020.

Akande said NEC also called on the leadership of the security agencies to ensure that –

a. Persons recruited into arms-bearing security agencies undergo psychiatric evaluations and drug tests before enlistment and periodically after enlistment to ensure that the personnel are psychologically fit to carry live weapons and to identify behavioural tendencies that may require psycho-social interventions.

b. Personnel of the agencies dutifully observes Rules of Engagement in the discharge of their functions/duties around and within the civilian populace.

c. While acknowledging the various initiatives introduced by the Federal Government to:
▪︎strengthen police accountability through the Police Service Commission,
▪︎sustain improved funding and budgetary allocation to the Nigeria Police Force and other securities agencies,
▪︎and the lifting of the ban on recruitment of police officers,

Council urged the Federal Government to give priority to the general welfare of police officers and personnel of other security agencies.

In particular, it advocated the review of pension and gratuity of retired police officers and attainment of parity of remuneration by police officers with sister security agencies.

d. Undertake a comprehensive assessment of all police stations across the country with a view to ensuring that they are fit for purpose.

e. Nigeria Police Force and other security agencies should deploy cutting-edge technology in the fight against crimes.

f. Nigeria Police Force to, in line with the mandatory training provisions of the Police Act 2020, prioritize training of Police Officers on procedures for the entrenchment of Human Rights Provisions guaranteed by the Constitution and on the professional handling of weapons.

g. All those detained by the Police as a result of the EndSars protests are expeditiously processed with due regard to the principles of fair hearing.

h. The system established within the Nigeria Police Force for receipt and handling of complaints or petitions is strengthened, and all police officers on duty should be in police-approved uniform with their full names and force numbers boldly written for easy identification.

i.The States should, as resolved by NEC:
i)Properly utilize and support the community policing programme of the Federal Government, with active collaborative efforts and participation of traditional rulers, elders, youths, vigilante groups, etc;

ii)Establish standing committees under States Ministries of Justice to address human rights violations on a continuous basis; and

iii)Take measures aimed at flushing out miscreants squatting in uncompleted buildings, and other blackout spots that serve as hideouts for criminals.
The council while appreciating the role of lawful peaceful protests in the advancement of public discourse under democratic governance, tstrongly advises those planning public protests across the country to mark the anniversary of the #EndSARS, to consider other lawful alternative means of engagement due to the current security situation across the country and the possibility of such protests being hijacked by armed hoodlums and other opportunistic criminals to cause mayhem at such protest events and venues. The Council, urges the organizers to reconsider their plan.

The council highlighted various actions already taken by Federal and State Governments to address the grievances that led to the 2020 protests, including:
* the disbandment of SARS;
*broad police reforms;
*establishment of judicial panels of inquiries to investigate allegations of human rights violations by members of the Nigeria Police Force and other security agencies;
* recommendations of which panels are already at various stages of implementation including the setup of Victims Compensation Funds from which several victims have received payments of sums awarded to them by the panels;
*and prosecution of police personnel indicted by the panels.

These are commendable actions that ought to be taken to a logical conclusion in a peaceful atmosphere.

Organizers of the planned protests should explore the various channels of communication with governments at various levels to advance their positions and avert the breakdown of law and order that may result from such public protests.