- Insists 14 issues outside its purview
BY CHINYERE OBIORA, LAGOS – The Lagos State Government on Tuesday finally released its White Papers on the report of the Judicial Panel of Inquiry on General Police Brutality Cases and Lekki Incident Investigation but rejected claims that nine people died at the Lekki Toll Gate Plaza.
Amid unending controversies trailing the report’s submission and its contents, the government also insisted that there were many discrepancies, irregularities, and inaccuracies with claims of victims’ deaths.
According to the government, this is even as some paragraphs contained in the same report clearly offer different perspectives, claims, and assertions from the submissions and recommendations.
The Lagos Commissioner for Information and Strategy, Mr Gbenga Omotoso, who released the White Paper on behalf of the State Government, said of the 32 recommendations made by the JPI on the Lekki Toll Gate shooting, only 11 were accepted; one (1) was rejected and while six others were agreed upon with some modifications.
Similarly, the White Paper noted that 14 of the recommendations fall outside its purview and would therefore be forwarded to the Federal government for consideration.
Describing as baffling claims in the report that nine (9) protesters died during the Lekki Toll Gate protest, the government said apart from listing out names of the victims on pages 297-298, the Panel’s reports did not offer any explanation regarding the circumstances surrounding their death, adding that the names only came out on the said pages without any justification being given.
The statement read in part: “It is quite astonishing that in the list of eleven (11) deaths set on pages 297-298, two (2) of the names appeared twice (Kolade Salam, Folorunsho Olabisi as Nos. 37 and 38). Furthermore, the person ben, as No. 46 Nathaniel Solomon who testified as a witness and petit the JPI in respect of his brother who he alleged died at LTC, himself listed as having died at LTG on 20th October 2020, Remarkably, Nathaniel Solomon’s deceased brother (Abuta Solomon, was then also listed: as ‘No.2 on the list of persons who died at LTG. The only victim of gunshot injury from LTG was picked up at 7:43, on 21* October 2020 after the curfew commenced (see page 99 Furthermore, there was no shred of evidence regarding who shot him.
“Another substantial inconsistency in the JPI Report was the award of compensation to only one (1) out of the alleged nine (9), listed as “deceased” which showed that the JPI itself had doubts as to the death of eight (8) other allegedly deceased persons on its list. See page 304 of the JPI Report.”
Also picking holes in the Panel’s recommendation that one Serah Ibrahim should be paid damages, the government said such a claim was absurd given that he was neither a Petitioner nor a Claimant before the JPI.
It observed thus; “The JPI also surprisingly awarded the sum of N10m to one Serah Ibrahim (listed as No. 14 on Page 304 of the Report). Serah Ibrahim was neither a petitioner nor a claimant before the JPI”, adding; “On Page 179 of the report, Serah Ibrahim testified on oath that she did not have a petition before the Panel; neither did she have any claims for compensation.
“This award to Serah Ibrahim is also contrary to t provisions of section 13 Tribunal of Inquiry Law 2015 (Cap. T6 La of Lagos State) which prescribes that only witnesses requested summoned by a Tribunal of Inquiry is entitled to witness fees subject to the consent of the Attorney General. Serah Ibrahim did not testify at the request or summons of the Tribunal. See pages 17-18 of the Report for the list of summoned witnesses.”
Further contending what it viewed as fundamental inconsistencies in the Panel’s findings regarding the nine (9) deaths at Lekki Toll Gate, the Lagos government said it was not accepting such claims because the findings were clearly and manifestly not supported by any piece of evidence.
Additionally, the government noted the JPI’s admission that there was no contradiction to Professor Obafunwa’s submission that only one person died of gunshot wounds at the toll gate on October 21, 2020.
However, the White Paper was quick to acknowledge that the Lagos State Government has no control over some of the recommendations, especially those concerning the internal affairs of the Nigeria Police Force (NPF).
It said those recommendations would be forwarded to the appropriate authorities that include the Federal Government of Nigeria (FGN), National Economic Council (NEC), Police Service Commission (PSC), and the Nigeria Police Force (NPF).
The State government also promised to set up a separate statewide Helpline for human rights abuses in addition to its existing Emergency Toll-Free (767 & 112) Helplines, with assurances that the recommendations would also be forwarded to the NEC.
Also, of the 22 recommendations on police brutality, the government said only four would be accepted while 18 others would go to the Federal Government for further and necessary action.
However, the White Paper further explained that of the 18 recommendations, three of them have overlapped and have been accepted by the State government, even as it added that it is not within its powers to investigate and fish out police officers as recommended by the JPI report on pages 249-254.
