A spanner is about to be thrown the way of the Judicial panel of Inquiry set up to probe human rights violations by the disbanded Special Anti Robbery Squad (SARS), and investigate the shooting of Lekki Toll Gate protesters.
A Senior Advocate of Nigeria, Mr Babatunde Fashanu, has asked the panel to discontinue further proceedings on the ground that the Lagos State governor was a party in the matter, hence the panel was incompetent to probe his involvement.
Through his group, the Lagos Emancipation Project, Fashanu filed a pre-action notice addressed to the chairman of the panel, retired Justice Doris Okuwobi.
The preaction is titled: “Prohibition Against Sitting of the #EndSARS Judicial Panel of Inquiry on the Lekki Tollgate Incident.”
In a report by Punch, Fashanu said his group contended that since it had been established that the soldiers who allegedly opened fire on #EndSARS protesters at the Lekki tollgate were invited by the Lagos State Governor, Mr Babajide Sanwo-Olu, it would be unfair for the same governor to set up a panel to probe the incident and then take action on the panel’s report.
“It is our belief that the person or authority who invited the military to the scene to take action against peaceful protesters is neck-deep in whatever transpired there and its aftermath and is, at least, one of the dramatis personae to answer for it.
“By our reckoning, the panel is to sit and submit its report to the Governor of Lagos State, who is empowered to act on it by virtue of the provisions of the Tribunals of Inquiry Law of Lagos State. Having regard to the fact that the governor to be reported to and who is to take action on the report seems to have a case to answer in the matter and he is not allowed by the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria to act in his own cause, we hereby request that you avoid sitting or hearing any matter on the Lekki Tollgate incident in the proceedings of the judicial panel so that it can be looked at by some other authority who would not have to report to the governor,” the notice read in part.