The tenure of the Lagos State Judicial Panel on Restitution For Victims of SARS Related Abuses and Other Matters has been extended for another three months.
The new date has been fixed for July 19 which is against the earlier deadline of April 19, 2021.
The Lagos panel was inaugurated by the State Governor, Babajide Sanwo-Olu, on October 19, 2020, to among other things receive memoranda from concerned members of the public and inquire into cases of abuse, brutality, torture, and extrajudicial killings by the disbanded Special Anti-Robbery Squad, (SARS) in Lagos.
As of the deadline for the receipt of the memo, the panel had received 235 petitions.
Today’s sitting is the 65th and so far the panel has part-heard over 115 cases and given out about N44m as compensation.
The very first petition the panel heard on Tuesday involved a bed-ridden 76-year-old petitioner, Prince Adewanle Adewuyi who had alleged police brutality, aggravated assault after his 26 acres of land in Age-Mowo village Badagry was forcefully taken over by the police in Dec. 2013.
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The land is said to be worth over N800million.
At the last sitting of the panel, Justice Doris Okuwobi had summoned the Inspector-General of Police, Mohammed Adamu, the Commissioner of police in charge of Legal Dept, Abuja, the AIG Co-Operative Police College, Ikeja, and the Surveyor-General of Lagos State.
At the resumption of proceedings today, the Petitioner’s counsel, Debo Adeleke noted that all parties summoned had honored the panel’s invitation and even reached out to him for an amicable resolution of the matter.
The counsel also stated that with the interference of the Panel, it has shown that hope is not lost for the common man.
The counsel to the police, Bonnyface Asogwa has told the Panel that the Inspector General of Police, has ordered all concerned officers to ensure they handover the land to the petitioner as soon as possible.
He then asked for a short adjournment to allow parties to tidy up every documentation over the matter.
Counsel to the AIG Co-operative, Police College, Okey Barrah who aligned himself with this request told the Panel that the team of concerned officers had already visited the site and work is in progress to ensure justice is done.
