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Tag: #EndSARS Report

  • Implement Lagos #EndSARS panel report to build trust, UN tells FG, LASG

    Implement Lagos #EndSARS panel report to build trust, UN tells FG, LASG

    Reactions calling for full implementation have trailed the recommendations of the Lagos State panel of enquiry which indicted the Nigerian Army and the police for killing peaceful protesters on October 20, 2020 during last year’s #EndSARS protest at Lekki tollgate.

    The UN Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator for Nigeria, Edward Kallon in his reaction welcomed the submission of the panel’s report in a statement by a UN National Information Officer, Oluseyi Soremekun.

    He noted that the submission of the findings of the judicial panel would accelerate the process of justice and accountability.

    “I welcome the submission to the Lagos State Governor, H.E. Babajide Sanwo-Olu, of the reports of the judicial panel on claims of brutality and shooting in the Lekki area of Lagos State, during the 2020 EndSARS protests.

    “I urge the government to implement the recommendations of the judicial panel of inquiry to rebuild trust and start the process of healing and reconciliation,” the statement added.

  • #EndSARS report: CDS Irabor faults process of release, cautions against ‘disparaging comments’ about Army

    #EndSARS report: CDS Irabor faults process of release, cautions against ‘disparaging comments’ about Army

    The Chief of Defense Staff, General Lucky Irabor, has faulted the procedure adopted in the release of a document said to be the report of the Lagos Judicial Panel of Inquiry on police brutality.

    The leaked report had indicted officers of the Nigerian Army for killing “unarmed helpless and defenseless protesters, without provocation or justification, while they were waving the Nigerian Flag and singing the National Anthem” at the Lekki Toll Gate on October 20, 2020.

    The CDS however explained that he could not, at the moment, comment on the content of the document because he has not seen the official report.

    General Irabor, who spoke after a courtesy visit to the Edo State Governor in Benin-City, maintained that the Nigerian armed forces are committed to their constitutional mandate and do not engage in ignoble acts.

    “I am sure those of you in the media must have seen a report that was released through, in my view, a wrong channel, that is making the rounds in the social media,” the CDS said.

    “Whether it is a true report, I can’t tell. But I’d like to indicate that the normal procedure is to have such a report submitted to the convening authority. And then there will be a white paper that will be presented, based on which one can make informed comments.

    “But whatever it is currently, I’d like to indicate that the Armed Forces of Nigeria is a professional armed force. We are peopled by Nigerians and we remain committed to the constitutional mandate. So we will not at this point think that Nigerians should make disparaging remarks regarding the Armed Forces of Nigeria, in the sense that we are a professional armed forces. If there are issues, of course, we address them within the ambit of the provisions.

    “It would not be right to disparage men and women who have worked so hard to ensure that the territorial integrity of this nation is kept intact. So in the meantime, until I see the full extent of the report.

    “I can assure that the Armed Forces of Nigeria are well-disciplined and we do not engage in any ignoble acts. If Nigerians do not trust us, then we won’t be doing what we are doing, and in any case, it is the Armed Forces of Nigeria; we are not talking of the police. So when the Armed Forces are called out, it is because there is a need; there is no one who doesn’t desire to live in peace.

    “We need to understand that the Armed Forces are there to keep the peace, to provide the ambiance that will enable each Nigerian to live his or her desires in peace and harmony. So let us not make inciting comments that will put the entire space on fire. That’s not right.”

  • #EndSARS report: I knew there was calamity at Lekki — Desmond Elliot

    #EndSARS report: I knew there was calamity at Lekki — Desmond Elliot

    Actor and politician, Desmond Elliot has reacted to the Lagos EndSARS panel report, which was released on Monday.

    Reacting to the report on the Wake Up Nigeria programme on TVC, Elliot said that he read the report but already knew that the incident was chaotic.

    Elliot also said that he knew that the truth regarding the incident would surface adding that it was a pattern for the government in power.

    He said, “I read it and it was very heartbreaking. Heartwrenching. I knew there was a calamity, chaos. Except you are not Nigerian or you are not human. You would feel for everybody.

    “I have always said something. When MKO died and the government of the day denied and denied, it took this government to come and say you know what, we have wronged you; this is the truth. And they actually gave Democracy Day.

    “We have always said the truth comes out. There is no how you would try to hide it, the truth would come out.”

    The member of the Lagos State House of Assembly, however, applauded the state government for letting the report see the light of day.

    Elliot revealed that the government’s action was commendable because it would have known that the report would indict it but still allowed it to be released.

    “But I now looked at it from another angle. Is it possible that this government didn’t know what was going to come out? Of course, they did. But the government of today, I am talking of the state government, I want to believe knew what was going to come out.

    “There is going to be an official statement so let me not jump the gun because I am also in office,” Elliot added.

     

  • #EndSARS report: We look forward to your responses, US tells FG, Lagos Government

    #EndSARS report: We look forward to your responses, US tells FG, Lagos Government

    The United States on Tuesday said it was looking forward to a response from the Lagos state government after the Lagos State Judicial Panel of Inquiry submitted its final report.

    The panel was commissioned by the state government to look into the events of October 2020, including the shootings at the Lekki Toll Gate, and review cases of police brutality.

    “The United States welcomes the conclusion of the Lagos State Judicial Panel of Inquiry with the transmission of its final report,” a statement from the US Embassy in Lagos said.

    “We look forward to the Lagos State government’s response as part of a process that represents an important mechanism of accountability regarding the #EndSARS protests and the events that took place near the Lekki Toll Gate on October 20, 2020.

    “Those events led to serious allegations against some members of the security forces, and we look forward to the Lagos State and federal governments taking suitable measures to address those alleged abuses as well as the grievances of the victims and their families.”